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CRUISE 



FRIGATE COLUMBIA 



AROUND THE WORLD, 



UNDER THE COMMAND OF 



COMMODORE GEORGE C. READ, 



1838, 1839, AND 1840. 



By WILLIAM MEACHAM MUERELL, 



ONE OF THE CREW. 




BOSTON: 

BENJAMIN B. MUSSEY, 

1840 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1840, 

BY WILLIAM MEACHAM MURRELL, 

in the clerk's office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



^9f 



PREFACE. 



" Nothing extenuate, nor set down 

Aught in malice.'^ 

Shakspeare. 

The author, in presuming to undertake 
the following work, is perfectly aware of 
the various difficulties he has to encoun- 
ter, and by which he is surrounded. He 
therefore throws himself upon the kind 
indulgence of his readers, trusting that 
this, his humble attempt, may stand the 
test of their judgment. 

To make it comprehensive as possible, 
and at the same time entertaining, he 



4 PREFACE. 

will endeavor to describe the situations 
of the various ports touched at during the 
cruise, or islands visited, with the customs 
and manners of their inhabitants. 

It is absolutely necessary for him to 
bespeak the kind feeling of the more 
learned part of his readers, and a can- 
did perusal of this journal, as it is the 
first humble production of one unused to 
literary pursuits or finely turned expres- 
sions. 

He therefore begs they will not exam- 
ine it with too critical an eye, sincerely 
hoping that his sole object may succeg.d', 
-—that of contributing to the amusement 
and information of those who may peruse 
it ; for even remote and minute events 
are frequently invested with an interest 
that is highly gratifying to that curios- 



PEEFACE, 5 

ity of which the human mind is naturally 
possessed. 

" Wandering from clime to clime, I observant stray, 
To note their manners and their states survey." 

TO MY SHIPMATES. 
According to your request I have had 
this journal printed. You all know what 
it is, — a plain and succinct account of 
our cruise, with short descriptions of the 
places we have visited. I am told there 
may be some who will carp and cavil at 
my little work. Well, let them. You 
and I will perhaps be far away on the 
ocean, so that we shall not hear it ; but to 
such persons I quote the following lines : 

" Cease, you jabbering, uncouth railer ; 

List, my shipmates, all to me ; 
Messmates, hear a brother sailor 

Tell of past scenes 'twixt you and me. 

1* 



PREFACE. 



Those persons on shore, who purchase 
a copy of it, will be friendly to blue jack- 
ets, and of course they won't expect it 
to be written according to scholastic rules, 
but a plain sailor's story, told in a sailor's 
style. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

Departure — Salutes — Family Thoughts — Speak a 
Bark — Melancholy Accident — Madeira — Descrip- 
tion thereof— Sail for Rio— Another Accident, - - 13 

CHAPTER II. 
Make St. Jago — Brief account thereof — Speak a 
Brig — Cross the Line — Humorous Sketch — Tropi- 
cal scene at Sea — Speak another Brig — Arrive at 
Rio — Salutes — Account of Rio — Visits — Invalid 
Men home — A Death — Leave Rio— Punishment 
at Sea, - - - - - 23 

CHAPTER III. 

A Death— Funeral at Sea— Speak a Bark— Another 
Death — Island of Madagascar — Description of — 
The Eclipse — Swimming — Make the Land — Cru- 
elty — Arrival at Muscat, 37 

CHAPTER IV. 

Another Death — Arabia — Description of— Customs, 
Manners, &c.— Bedouins, or roving Arabs— Ma- 
homet's Tomb — Muscat — Account of— Visit of 



O CONTENTS. 

Capt. Calforn— The Imann visits the Ship, his re- 
ception, &c.— Another Death, - 47 

CHAPTER V. 

Leave Muscat — Arrive at Bombay — Board a Brig — 
Account of Bombay — An awkward Affair — Hon- 
esty the best Policy — Description of the Hindoos 
generally— The Air, Climate, «&c.— The late Tip- 
poo Saib — Visits— Another Death— Bad Provisions 
— Leave Bombay for Goa— The Sea-coast, &c. - - 57 

CHAPTER VI. 

Account of Goa — The late Inquisition— Leave the 
Harbor — Ghaut Mountains— Cape Comorin — The 
Pearl Fishery — Account of Operations — Make Cey- 
lon — Anchor at Columbo— Description of Ceylon — 
The Cinnamon Tree — Talipot Tree — Its various 
uses — The Cingalese — Arrivals— A very feeling re- 
mark, 66 

CHAPTER VII. 
Account of Columbo — Adam's Peak — Descriptions 
of, by a Traveller — Governor's Visit — Unwelcome 
News — Murder and Piracy on the Coast of Sumatra 
— Account of the same, 81 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Feelings of the Crew — Leave Columbo — Speak two 
Ships — Make Sumatra — An unseen Enemy — Ori- 
gin of Small-pox — Measures adopted for prevention 
— Death — The Shark — A tit bit — Come to anchor 
off" Annallaboo— Leave again — Arrive at duallah 
Battoo— Poadam, the Malay Chief— The Rajah's 
Conduct— The English Brig, 91 



CONTENTS. y 

CHAPTER IX. 

Cannonade duallah Baltoo — Come lo terms — Wound- 
ed Malay — Seize several Proas — Account of Su- 
matra — Religion, Customs, &c. — The Cassia Tree 
— Wild Beasts—Leave duallah Battoo— Anchor at 
Muckie — The tug of War — Cannonade Muckie — 
Land the Crew— Destroy the Town— The Jack in 
the Box — Lawful plunder — Leave Muckie for Soo- 
soo— Death and Burial, 103 

CHAPTER X. 

Soliloquy on Honor — Seize a Proa— Description of— 
Death — Comments — Leave Soosoo — Poadam — Situ- 
ation and Character — Another Death — Penang — 
Arrive at — Account of— Wounded Moor— Sailor's 
Liberality — Malacca — Account of— Singapore — Es- 
tablish a Hospital— Description of Singapore — Chi- 
nese Junks, &c. ------------ 117 

CHAPTER XI. 

Washington's Birth-Day — Missionaries— Divine Wor- 
ship at Sea— More Deaths — On the Existence of a 
God — Proofs of the same — A Dying Scene — Chi- 
nese Admiral's Visit— In a Scrape myself — The 
Ball — Leave Singapore — -More Deaths — Arrival at 
Macao — Intelligence — Stop put to Trade by the 
Chinese, 131 

CHAPTER XII. 

Description of Macao — Deaths — Leave Macao — 
Toonkoo Bay— Account of Canton— Chinese Cus- 
toms, &c.— The Bumboat— Death and Epitaph, - 146 

CHAPTER XIII. 

An agreeable Surprise — Loss of a Friend — His Char- 
acter, &c.-- A sad Accident— Man killed— Fourth 



10 CONTENTS. 

of July— Leave Toonkoo Bay— Caught in a Ty- 
phoon — Account of the same— Our Losses — Mis- 
chief done — Sailors' Opinion of the Weather — A 
very unpleasant Prospect— A Lee Shore — Ship 
drifting — The Storm breaks— A friendly Opinion, 157 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Island of Formosa — Marines and Mariners — Muster 
the Watch — Laughable Mistake — Moonlight Scene 
at Sea — A cruel Scene — The Man overboard — 
Cross the Meridian— Change the Time — Arithme- 
tic in Matrimony — Make the Sandwich Islands — 
Afflicting Scenes of Death during the passage — 
Arrive at Oahu — Anchor off Honolulu, - - - 169 

CHAPTER XV. 

Salutes, Visits, &c. — The Missionary' — Account of the 
Sandwich Islands — Description of Honolulu — Man- 
ners, Customs, Dress, &c, of the Natives — The 
King's Visit — A short Sketch of Nautical Life, with 
an unfeeling Transaction, -------- 183 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Moralizing— On Men and Manners— More Deaths — 
Disagreeable Word — Cure for the Scurvy — My 
humble Opinion — Principal Diet of the Islanders — 
Manner of Cooking— John Adams leaky — Whale 
Ships — Opinion of a Blubber Himter, - - - - 195 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Sail from Honolulu — A False Alarm — A Death — 
Cross the Equinoctial Line — Off the Marquesas — 
Arrive at Otaheite — Description of the same — In- 
habitants — Customs, Dress, Manners, &c. — A Lib- 
erty Scrape — Dreams not always realized, - - - 204 



OFFICERS 



ATTACHED TO THE 



U. S, FRIGATE COLUMBIA. 



GEORGE C. EEAD, Commodore. 

George A. Magruder, 1st Lieutenant, 

John W. Turk, 2d Lieutenant. 

J. S. Palmer, Sd Lieutenant. 

Joseph W. Revere, 4tJi Lieutenant. 

A. M. Pennock, Acting Lieutenant. 

D. D. Baker, Lieutenant of Marines. 

G. F. Macauley, Purser. 

J. W. Taylor, Chaplain. 

John Haslett, Surgeon. 

Edward Jenkins, Acting Sailing Master.' 

Edward W. Cole, ^ 

Richard J. Hakrison, \^'''* Surgeons. 

Hiram Belcher, Prof, of Mathematics. 

John Clar, Commodore'' s Clerk, 



12 OFFICERS. 

MidsliipmeiiL. 

D. Ross Crawford, ^ 

James McComick, S ^"'' ^^^'^^P^'^- 

R. M. Barney, Charles Sinclair, 

John L. Toomer, Wm. B. Fitzgerald, 

Thomas L. Kinlock, Charles Fauntleroy, 

Charles R. Smith, J. Dorsey Read, 

James M. Duncan, William A. Henry. 
William M. Green, 

Forward Officers. 

John Mills, Boatswain. 
John Martin, Gunner. 
Benjamin Crow, Sailmaker. 
Thomas Johnson, Carpenter. 
Manuel de Morcia, Purser'^s Steward. 



CRUISE 



COLUMBIA 



CHAPTER L 

Adieu ! my native land, adieu ! 
The A^essel spreads her flowing sails ; 
Perhaps I never more maj^ view 
Yom- fertile fields, your flowery dales. 

Scotch Sojn"G. 

Departure— Salutes — Family Thoughts — Speak a Bark — 
Melancholy Accident— Madeira — Description thereof 
— Sail for Rio — Another Accident. 

Our frigate being manned, and having com- 
pleted our necessary arrangements, the day of 
our departure at length arrived, and we left 
the land of our forefathers to traverse the path- 
less main and seek foreign climes. 

We got under way from Hampton Koads on 

the 6th May, 1838, where we had been laying 

for some days previous, our consort, the John 

Adams, commanded by Capt. Thomas Wyman, 

2 



14 FAMILY THOUGHTS. 

in company, with a fine breeze from the north- 
ward and westward, bound to the island of 
Madeira, our first destined port. 

On the same afternoon the pilot, having 
completed his duties, left us, and went away 
loaded with letters and commissions of various 
kinds to the respective relatives and friends of 
the crew. 

A short time after his departure, the John 
Adams saluted the flag of our commodore, 
according to the etiquette of the naval ser- 
vice, which was returned by us. We con- 
tinued on our course, with favorable breezes 
and pleasant weather, our time actively em- 
ployed in the various duties allotted us, with no 
other care upon our minds than the thoughts of 
those dear relatives and friends whom we had 
so recently left, perhaps never more to behold. 
Where is the man so cold-hearted that does not 
love his country ? It is not the earth, the 
mere insensate clod, that forms the bond; it is 
the associations of our youth, our manhood, 
and even our ancestry, which bind us with 
such intensity. Never may those feelings be 
eradicated from the human heart ; still dear to 
us be the home, however bleak, where first we 
lifted up our eyes to heaven, and our young 
lips were taught to lisp the name of God ; still 



SPEAK A BARK. 15 

dear be the sunny vale, the barren heath, or 
shrubless mountain, where we wandered in our 
youth ; and dear be the sohtary aisle or the 
small desolated church-yard, where lie the 
earthly relics of our ancestors, who lived and 
died in the same valleys a hundred years ago. 
I could but reflect occasionally on the length 
of time which had to pass away ere I should 
again be blessed with the cheering smiles or 
affectionate caresses of those I had left behind ; 
but hope, which ever encourages the soul of 
man in the hour of adversity, cheered me with 
the pleasurable feelings of that day once more 
returning, however distant the period might be. 

On the 18th inst. we descried a sail, which 
we spoke. It proved to be the American bark 
John A. Robb, then sixteen days out from 
Havre de Grace, and bound to Baltimore. A 
boat was despatched for the purpose of gaining 
any recent news. On the return of the boat, 
after wishing them a pleasant passage, we 
parted company, and each ship pursued her 
course. 

At times, when the breez.es freshened, I 
could but take particular notice of the stormy 
petrel, or Mother Carey's chickens, as they 
are technically called by the weather-beaten 
mariner, scudding along with every stitch of 



16 MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT. 

their canvass set, at the rate of a nine-knot 
breeze ; or, when the weather was fine, to 
watch the silvery flying-fish, in small shoals, 
winging their short and sparkling flight by the 
ship. Several of the latter were found entan- 
gled among the rigging. These to me were al- 
ways pleasing contemplations, and relieved the 
dull monotony of sea life. 

Nothing of any interest occurred until the 
24th inst. when we had the misfortune to lose 
one of the crew by a lamentable accident. 
John Kemp, seaman, unfortunately fell from 
the maintop-gallant yard, while assisting to 
furl the sail, and was instantaneously killed ; 
not a breath or sigh escaping his lips, at thus 
being launched into eternity and the presence 
of his Maker. The horror and consternation 
depicted on the countenances of those around 
who had been observers of this unlooked-for 
calamity, can be much better imagined than 
described. 

The unfortunate deceased was a promising 
young man, about 24 years of age, who, from 
the affability of his disposition, was held high in 
the estimation of his shipmates, and had also 
gained the good-u'ill of his officers by his cheer- 
ful alacrity when called to any duty. It was 
but a fevv' moments before the accident took 



MADEIRA. 17 

place which cut him short in his youthful ca- 
reer, that he was cajoling with his shipmates, 
and smiling at the jokes which were passing 
around, — mirth soon to be changed to melan- 
choly and gloom. He was talking of his home 
and distant friends. Little did he imagine 
that home to him was to be as a blank space 
on the earth, and all ties of kindred were so 
soon to be cut asunder till time shall be no 
more. While he was giving himself away to 
these pleasing and natural reflections, the pale 
king of terrors, with his malignant dart, had 
poised his deadly weapon to strike his victim 
and convey him to that bourne from whence no 
traveller returns. 

On the following morning the boatswain and 
his mates, with a cheerless and dreary sound 
of voice, summoned all hands to " bury the 
dead." The mournful utterance of the order 
coincided strongly with the cause it arose from. 
His remains were conveyed to the lee gang- 
way by his messmates, and launched into the 
abyss of the deep, after the usual service had 
been performed over them by the reverend 
chaplain. 

On the following day we made the island of 
Madeira, at a view which was extremely pic- 
turesque and romantic ; but it not being deemed 
2* 



18 DESCPwIPTION OF MADEIRA. 

prudent to run for the anchorage in Fun- 
chal Roads, as the day was then on the de- 
cline, we laid the ship oif during the night ; and, 
making sail at dayhreak, we stood in and an- 
chored. The John Adams arrived shortly af- 
terwards, and followed our example. 

After furling the sails and squaring the 
yards, hauling the running rigging taut, and 
flemishing the same down on the deck with 
that neatness and precision which is ever cus- 
tomary in ships of this description, the Portu- 
guese colors were hoisted at the fore, and a 
salute fired, which was returned by the forts 
ashore. 

This island is situated in the Atlantic ocean, 
in 32° 34' north latitude, and from 18° 30' to 
19° 30' west longitude. It is composed of one 
continual hill of a considerable height, extend- 
ing from east to west, the declivity of which on 
the south side is cultivated, and interspersed 
with vineyards ; and in the midst of this slope 
the merchants have fixed their country seats, 
which form a very agreeable prospect. 

There is but one considerable town in the 
whole island, off which our ships came to an 
anchor, named Funchal, seated on the south 
part of the island, at the bottom of a large bay. 
Towards the sea it is defended by a high wall, 



DESCRIPTION OF MADEIRA. 19 

with a battery of cannon, and is the only place 
where it is possible for a boat to land ; and 
even here the beach is covered with large 
stones, and a violent surf continually beats up- 
on it. 

This town is situated on the gentle ascent of 
the first hills, in the form of an amphitheatre. 
The houses are buiit of freestone or brick, but 
they are dark, and only a few of the best, be- 
longing to the English merchants or the princi- 
pal inhabitants, are provided with glass win- 
dows ; all the others having a kind of lattice- 
work in their stead, which hang upon hinges, 
and maybe lifted up occasionally. 

The air in general on the island is mild and 
salubrious, and is strongly recommended by 
the faculty to the invalid for restoration of 
health, when change of clime is deemed neces- 
sary ; so that of late years it has been a place 
of great resort by those v/ho have been advised 
to seek it for that purpose. 

Flowers nursed in the English greenhouses 
grow wild here in the fields, and the hedges 
are mostly formed of the rose, jasmine, myrtle, 
and honeysuckle ; while the larkspur, fleur-de- 
lis, and lupin spring up spontaneously in the 
fields. There are very few re})tiles to be seen 
on the island, the lizard being the most com- 



20 ANOTHER ACCIDENT. 

mon. Its wine, which derives its name from 
the island, is in the highest estimation, espe- 
cially such as has been a voyage to the East 
or West Indies, as it matures best in the hottest 
climates. 

The fruits, which are most delicious, are 
oranges, lemons, and pomegranates : the pro- 
ducts are corn, honey, and wax. The island 
abounds also with boars and other wild beasts, 
and with all sorts of fowls, besides numerous 
groves of cedar trees, and those that yield 
mastic and other gums. 

During our stay in this port we were honor- 
ed by a visit from the Portuguese viceroy, or 
civil governor of the island, who was received 
with a salute, and shown through the ship. He 
also visited our consort, the John Adams, 
where he met with a similar reception. 

June 3d, we once more got under way, 
with our consort, and proceeded to sea, bound 
to Rio de Janeiro, our next destined port, fa- 
vored with fine favorable breezes and pleasant 
weather. 

I have to note an accident which took place 
a few days after we had left the beautiful island 
of Madeira, which might have been attended 
with more serious consequences as to the re- 
sult. 



LUCKY BAG. 21 

It being a standing rule of the ship to exer- 
x^ise the crew at the great guns, providing more 
emergent duties did not intervene to prevent 
the same, at least once a week, during the time 
on this particular day they were undergoing 
and performing the same, the captain of gun 
No. 7 (for each gun has its captain) was se- 
verely wounded by the sudden explosion of a 
powder-horn which was slung around his neck, 
and with which he was in the act of priming 
his gun, at the same time slightly wounding 
several others who were stationed at the same 
gun with him. The wounded persons were 
immediately placed under the charge of the 
doctor and assistants, who found it necessary 
to deprive the captain of one of his fingers by 
amputation. The wounds of the others not 
being so severe, they underwent the usual treat- 
ment, by which they were enabled, in the course 
of a few days, to resume their duties, grateful 
the accident was no worse, and exclaiming, 
with the true spirit of patriotism, '^ Next time 
give me scars of a more honorable nature." 

I was this day also witness to a curious 
scene. The master's mate of each deck goes 
round collecting all stray clothes, which are 
delivered to the master-at-arms, who has in his 
department a large bag called the "lucky 



22 LUCKY BAG. 

bag: " the name is not so inappropriate, for it 
is generally so luckj as to be well filled. At 
the beginning of the month, or earlier, as the 
occasion may suit, it is brought up to the main- 
mast (that being the place appropriated for a 
settlement of accounts, or paying all back ra- 
tions.) and the owners, if their names are on 
them, get them again, with a few lashes for 
their carelessness in leaving them about the 
decks. 



CHAPTER II. 

The man doomed to sail, with the blast of the gale, 

O'er billows Atlantic to steer, 
As he bends o'er the wave which may soon be his grave,- 

The green sparkles bright with the tear. 

Byron. 

Make St. Jago— Brief account thereof— Speak a Brig — 
Cross the Line — Humorous Sketch — Tropical scene at 
Sea — Speak another Brig— Arrive at Rio — Salutes — 
Account of Rio — Visits — Invalid Men — Home — A 
Death — Leave Rio— Punishment at Sea. 

On the 12th June we discovered land on the 
larboard bow, which proved to be St. Jago, one 
of the Cape de Verd islands, and at the same 
time one of the most fertile of them. 

These islands were first discovered in the 
year 1460, by the Portuguese, and are about 
twenty in number ; but some of them being 
only barren, uninhabitable rocks, are scarcely 
worth notice. They are inhabited by Europe- 
ans, or, generally speaking, Europeans and ne- 
groes. 

The island of St. Jago is the residence of 
the Portuguese viceroy, and is about 150 miles 



24 



CROSS THE LINE. 



in circumference ; yet it is mountainous, and 
has much barren land in it. The plant which 
grows here, of the most consequence to the na- 
tives, is the madder, which is found in abun- 
dance among the cliffs ; but as we did not call 
in herCj it would be an impossibility for me to 
give any further description of it. 

On the following morning we came up with 
and spoke a Genoese brig, but they being as 
much unacquainted with our language as we 
were with theirs, we could not derive any in- 
formation from whence she came or to what 
port bound ; so we pursued our course, the 
brig adopting the same plan. 

On the 27th June we crossed the equinoctial 
line ; and here my readers must excuse me in 
making a short digression from the present 
subject, to give an account of the ceremony of 
shaving, as usually adopted at this particular 
time, although it was not performed on board 
the frigate ; which was as much regret and dis- 
appointment to many of our crew as it was of 
pleasure to those novices who had never cross- 
ed the boundaries of Neptune's dominions be- 
fore, and who consequently escaped those 
ceremonies which I was obliged to undergo 
myself some years before, when on a voyage 
to the Mauritius, and an account of which I 
here subjoin for the amusement of my readers. 



HUMOROUS SKETCH. 25 

On the evening previous to the day on which 
we crossed the line, our \^essel was calmly 
floating on the unruffled bosom of the deep, 
and I sitting on some spare spars, gazing 
thoughtfully on the setting sun. I was sud- 
denly started from my meditations by the cry 
of " a sail ahead, — halloo — Neptune — Neptune 
ahoy," and on proceeding to the spot from 
whence the hailing took place, and looking in 
a certain direction, I perceived a large tar bar- 
rel flaming on the ocean, which had been pur- 
posely set on fire and ejected into the sea, and 
then gliding past our vessel. 

On making inquiries respecting this curious 
scene, I was given to understand it was the 
royal barge of the venerable watery god, who 
had announced his intention of coming on 
board next morning to superintend the shaving 
of such of his children as had not previously 
entered into the southern part of his domin- 
ions. 

Next morning, accordingly this august per- 
sonage made his appearance on board about 
half past nine, A. M. His dress consisted of a 
buff'alo's hide, with such other varieties as 
could be procured on board, added to an iron- 
crowned, hoary-bearded mask, which render- 
ed him a very grotesque figure. With him 
3 



26 HUMOROUS SKETCH. 

came a gigantic, white-robed mariner, some- 
thing resembhng an old weather-beaten woman, 
intending to represent his cara sposa, Amphi- 
trite, followed by several others, personating 
attendants and constables, all bearing their 
rods of office, and decorated in a ludicrous 
and singular manner. Next followed in the 
train the important barber and his attendants. 
After parading round the decks with all due 
ceremony, the procession halted opposite the 
cabin door, where his godship was welcomed 
by the captain and his officers, and accepted 
the offer of a glass of spirits ; nor had his fair 
spouse any hesitation in swallowing a potent 
draught of the inspiring nectar, and that too 
without making wry faces. When the barber, 
who did not fear to exhibit his huge razor, and 
several others had paid their devotions at the 
shrine of Bacchus, they all proceeded to the 
lee waist, where was prepared a tarred topsail, 
supported at the four corners by corresponding 
stanchions and filled to the brim with the salt 
water of the tropical ocean, a covered throne 
for Neptune and his exquisite consort, a scaf- 
folding for the barber and his suite, and a nar- 
row plank across the reservoir, on which those 
unenviable individuals were to be seated who 
were destined to undergo the ceremony of 
shaving, of whom I was one. 



HUMOROUS SKETCH. 27 

At this moment the cries of " Bring forth my 
children/' " bring forth my sons," indicated to 
the anxious beings below that all was in readi- 
ness to commence the business of the day ; and 
immediately several of these horrible-looking 
constables came to lead me, blindfolded, and 
with no very quick step on my part, to the 
place of execution. No sooner had I gained 
the summit of the companion ladder than a de- 
luge of salt water from innumerable buckets 
was unceremoniously discharged into my face. 
In this state, panting and almost breathless, I 
rushed forwards with much exertion, dragging 
these uncouth myrmidons along with me, till I 
came to the foot of the ladder, which led to the 
plank crossing the cistern. This I ascended 
with some difficulty, amidst the cheering of the 
merciless sailors, and took my seat on the tot- 
tering plank and awaited in anxious expecta- 
tion the dreadful result of all this ceremony. 

I had not sat long in this position ere a 
rough brush, every hair of which seemed to be 
formed of a porcupine's quill, saluted my chin, 
then a sharp toothed saw, intended to repre- 
sent a razor, a tar-brush well soaked in tar was 
drawn over my hair, by w^ay of Macassor oil 
or sweet scented pomatum ; the frail plank on 
which I was seated was then drawn from un- 



28 TROPICAL SCENE AT SEA. 

der me, and I was plunged into the abyss be- 
low. I rushed up the side of the cistern, al- 
most blind and distracted with pain arising 
from the tar rushing into my eyes, made a sud- 
den rush, capsizing her most sacred majesty 
Amphitrite in my exit, over into a cask of 
slush or grease, which had been placed near to 
answer the purpose of lather, and finally suc- 
ceeded in making my escape. 

Notwithstanding all this roughing I contriv- 
ed to preserve my good humor, and when I 
had recovered myself a little, I was amongst 
the first to salute my hapless shipmates who 
next made their appearance. That evening 
was employed in draining the goblet and sing- 
ing the song. 

In these latitudes the sun rises from the 
ocean in great splendor, and gilds the clouds 
accumulated in the horizon ; which, in grand 
and various groups, seem to present to the eye 
of the spectator continents with high mountains 
and valleys, with volcanoes and seas, mytholo- 
gical and other strange creations of fancy. 
The lamp of day gradually mounts in the 
transparent blue sky, the damp, gray fogs sub- 
side, the sea is calm, or gently rises and falls 
with a surface smooth as a mirror, in a regular 
motion. 



TROPICAL SCENE AT SEA. 29 

At noon, a pale, faintly shining cloud rises, 
the herald of a sudden tempest, which at once 
disturbs the tranquillity of the sea. Thunder 
and lightning- seem as if they would split our 
planet; but a heavy rain pouring down in the 
midst of squalls, puts an end to the raging of 
the elements, and several semicircular rain- 
bows, extended over the ocean like gay trium- 
phal arches, and multiplied in the wrinkled 
surface of the water, announce the termination 
of this great natural phenomenon. 

As soon as the air and sea have recovered 
their equilibrium, the sky shows again its trans- 
parent azure, swarms of flying-fish leap sport- 
ingly over the surface of the water, and the ma- 
ny-colored natives of the ocean, among which 
is the shark and its two inseparable compan- 
ions, come up from the bottom of the deep, 
which is transparent to the depth of a hundred 
fathoms. 

As the sun gradually sinks in the clouded 
horizon, sea and sky assume a new dress, 
which is beyond description sublime and mag- 
nificent ; the most brilliant red, yellow and vio- 
let in infinite shades and contrast are poured 
out in profusion o'er the azure of the firma- 
ment, and reflected in still greater variety from 
the surface of the water, 
3* 



30 ARRIVE AT RIO, 

The day departs amidst continual lightnings 
in the dusky horizon, while the moon in silent 
majesty rises from the unhounded ocean into 
the cloudless upper regions. Variable winds 
cool the atmosphere, numerous falling stars, 
coming particularly from the south, shed a 
magic light ; the dark blue firmament reflected 
with the constellations on the untroubled bosom 
of the water, represent the image of the whole 
starry hemisphere, and the ocean, agitated 
even by the faintest breeze of the night, is 
changed into a sea of uneven fires. 

On the Sth July we came up with and spoke 
a Portuguese brig, named the Bastamento, out 
27 days from Monte Video, and on the afterr- 
noon of the same day, being in one of my usual 
reflective moods, my thoughts wandering to the 
scenes of my earlier years, 1 was suddenly 
aroused from my revery by a voice from aloft, 
which would have done credit to the lungs of a 
stentor, exclaiming, " Land ho ! " " Where 
away ? " was immediately asked by the oflicer 
of the watch ; and the desired inform.ation be- 
ing received, it was found to be the coast of 
Brazil. 

On the following morn we descried Cape 
Frio lighthouse, bearing per compass W. J N. 
Every necessary preparation was then made for 



ACCOUNT OF RIO. . 81 

going into port, and on the 10th inst. we came 
to an anchor in the harhor of Rio cie Janeiro, 
with our consort, the John Adams, after a pleas- 
ant passage of five weeks from Madeira. 

We found the harbor full of shipping, in- 
cluding several men of war. Amongst the lat- 
ter was the U. S. ship Fairfield, commanded 
by Capt. Mayo, who fired a salute, which was 
returned by us ; we at the same time saluting 
the Brazilian flag, as also the British and 
French admiral, whose respective ships were 
lying in the harbor, and who during our stay 
in this port visited our ship. 

The town of Rio, or St. Sebastian, is a rich 
and populous city. It is situated in 42° 44' 
west longitude, and 22° 54' south latitude. It 
stands on the west side of the harbor, and the 
population is estimated by intelligent travellers 
at 150,000; but it is difficult to ascertain its 
real number. It is large and w^ell built, and 
about three miles in circumference. The houses 
in general are of stone, two stories high, and 
each of them have, after the manner of the 
Portuguese, a little balcony before its windows, 
and a lattice of wood before the balcony. 

The streets are straight and of a convenient 
breadth, intersecting each other at right angles. 
It stands, however, upon low ground, which 



32 VISITS. 

formerly was swampy, and is surrounded by 
hills of vast height, which exclude the benefit 
of the refreshing- sea and land breezes ; so that 
it is of course exceedingly hot and unhealthy 
in the summer time. 

The common produce of the country, and of 
which it has an extensive trade, is cotton, cof- 
fee, sugar, rice and tobacco. There is also 
annually exported from hence gold and silver, 
in addition to many precious stones. Vines 
also grow in great perfection, but are not suf- 
fered to be pressed for wine. 

The harbor is well adapted for those ships 
to put in that may stand in need of supplies. 

It is under the Brazilian government, and in 
the year ISOS was the regal seat of Don Pedro ; 
but he shortly afterwards abdicated in favor of 
his son, then a minor, and returned to Europe. 

We were occasionally visited by the charge 
d'affaires of different nations, and they were 
ever received with those polite attentions which 
are usually shown in the naval service towards 
the delegates of another nation. 

A few days after our arrival the French ad- 
miral's ship got under way, and proceeded to 
sea. With our usual promptitude we despatch- 
ed the boats, to afford any assistance that might 
be required in aiding them to turn out of the 
harbor. 



A DEATH — LEAVE HIO. 33 

Several of our crew were sent from the frig- 
ate to the U. S. sliip Fairfield, for a temporary 
removal, until sent home in a merchant ship, 
as invalids, it being deemed the most advisable, 
as they had been suffering from sickness for 
some time, and their remaining strength quite 
inadequate to undergo the arduous duties at- 
tendant on a mariner's life, in addition to the 
various changes of climate their shattered 
frames would be absolutely compelled to visit 
during the cruise. 

On the 27th we lost one of the crew, by the 
death of John Davis, seaman, who had been 
shipped but a few days previously, and who 
died of delirium tremens, the usual finale of ex- 
cessive inebriety. 

On the same day our consort — the John 
Adams — having received her orders to that 
effect, got under way, and proceeded to sea, 
bound to Zanguebar, on the coast of Africa; 
and on the 29th we followed her, bound to Mus- 
cat, — the British flag ship and United States' 
ship Fairfield kindly sending their boats to 
afford us any assistance we might require in 
leaving the harbor, which, however, we ef- 
fected without any difiiculty. A light, favora- 
ble breeze springing up, the necessary sail was 
30on made, the ship skimming lightly along on 



34 PUNISHMENT AT SEA. 

the smooth-faced surface of the deep, and in 
the course of a short time the o;reat and com- 
mercial city of Rio was scarcely perceptible, 
and appeared but as a dim speck in the dis- 
tance. 

This morning, at 10, A. M. all hands were 
called to witness punishment ; and, however 
irksome or unpleasant a scene of this descrip- 
tion is, to the sensitive mind, every order in 
the naval service must be implicitly obeyed. 

On proceeding to the spar-deck, I discov- 
ered the gratings were rigged. These articles 
are lashed securely down to the deck, to which 
the feet of the delinquent are made fast, while 
his hands are firmly secured to the hammock 
netting. The quarter-masters were standing 
near the spot of punishment, ready to seize up 
or fasten the culprit. The boatswain and his 
mates, with a small bag, containing those instru- 
ments of torture called the cats, were also pres- 
ent. All the officers were on the quarter-deck 
with their side-arms ; and tlie marines drawn 
out, headed by their commanding officer. The 
culprits stood at the mainmast, in their best bib 
and tucker, in charge of the master-at-arms, and 
the corporal of the marine guard, who hap- 
pended to be on duty. The commodore, on 
being informed that all was in readiness, now 



PUNISHMEJN^T AT SEA. 35 

approached the unfortunate delinquents with 
a stern brow and rigid countenance, which 
seemed to have shut out all compassion. After 
naming their offences against the rules, and 
discipline of the service, they were punished 
with twelve lashes each. I do not wish to 
speak against this discipline, as I am led to 
believe these persons got themselves into the 
scrape for which they suffered. Two of them 
were punished for thieving, which every one 
will allow deserved chastisement. How differ- 
ent the case of a poor marine, whose back was 
absolutely cut to pieces, while our ship was 
laying at Norfolk, for an offence of the most 
trivial nature ! The commodore on this occa- 
sion was absent from the ship, and the unfor- 
tunate marine was reported to his commanding 
officer, who, contrary to the rules of the ser- 
vice, ordered the poor fellow to strip, and, not 
satisfied with using the cats, the usual instru- 
ment of punishment, whipped him over his 
naked back and shoulders with a colt. The 
colt is a piece of hard twisted rope, about the 
size of a man's fore finger, which not only 
scarified, but absolutely brought out a piece of 
flesh with every blow that was struck. Let me 
here appeal to the hearts of all, even to the most 
degenerate man : was not a scene like this suf- 



36 PUNISHMENT AT SEA* 

ficient to harrow up every feeling, and freeze 
the very blood in our veins ; — to behold a 
wretch, destitute of any feeling for a fellow- 
creature, to have power placed in his hands, so 
as to enable him to torment those under his 
command ; — a wretch, deaf to all feelings of hu- 
manity, unworthily abusing that power, which 
perhaps would have been an honor in the 
hands of a humane and worthy officer 1 
, The winds continued favorable, accompa- 
nied with pleasant weather for several days 
after our departure, when it ceased, and we 
were occasionally visited with heavy squalls of 
rain, thunder, and lightning, and not unfre- 
quently a high and heavy sea running. At 
these times, our bark glided majestically 
through the troubled waters, proudly dashing 
aside their angry spray. 



CHAPTER IIL 

The ship, being rocked by the roai-ing wind, 
He, — a tempest both in bodj' and in mind — 
Slowly closed his ej-es upon the ocean foam, 
And deemed that deep his last long home. 

AUTHOK. 

A Death— Funeral at Sea— Speak a Bark— Another 
Death — Island of Madagascar^Description of — The 
Eclipse— Swimming — Make the Land — Cruelt}^ — Ar- 
. rival at Muscat. _ 

On the lltli August, one of the crew de- 
parted this life, named Thomas McLean. He 
had been sick from the time we had left the 
United States, and never expected to recover, 
therefore he v/as perfectly resigned to that fate 
which cut asunder the thread of his mortal 
existence. On the following morning, his re- 
mains were committed to the deep, with the 
usual funeral ceremonies. A scene of this 
description, is ever calculated to impress the 
mind with rehgious awe from its solemnity, and 
attendant circumstances. 

At the appointed time, the boatswain and 
his mates summon all hands to bury the dead, 
4 



38 FUNERAL AT SEA — SPEAK A BARK. 

not in the tone usually adopted on other occa- 
sions, but in a more dolorous strain. The crew 
immediately proceed to the spar or upper deck, 
and shortly afterwards the corpse is brought up 
from below, by the messmates of the deceased, 
and laid on a plank at the lee gangway, resting 
on the ship's rail and supported up by the same, 
ready for immersion overboard. The reverend 
chaplain commences the funeral service, all 
heads being uncovered, perfect silence reigning 
around, not the slightest noise disturbing the 
stillness and solemnity of the scene, save now 
and then the screech of the wild sea mew, or 
the roar of the waves as they break against 
the vessePs hull. 

The service drawing to a conclusion at that 
part where the minister says, " Earth to earth," 
and " dust to dust," the inner end of the plank 
is elevated, and the corpse slides off; one 
heavy splash is heard, and the waves close over 
it till time shall be no more, and the sea yields 
up its dead. 

On the day of McLean's funeral, we came 
up ^vith and spoke an English bark, bound 
from London to Sydney, New South Wales, 
We hove our ship to, and allowed her boat to 
come along side, and her captain came on 
board. Having stated that he was ill supplied 



ANOTHER DEATH — MADAGASCAR. 39 

with a few necessary articles, which he named, 
on account of the long passao;e he had met 
with, he was supplied according to the nature 
of his wants, and his hoat left. Made sajl, and 
continued on our voyage, profiting by a favor- 
ahle breeze. 

We had to part with another of the crew on 
thel4th inst. in the person of Owen Monk, 
(corporal of marines,) who had been lingering 
for some weeks with consumption. He bore 
the pangs and privations of a mortal illness 
with unshrinking fortitude, relying, in his last 
moments, upon the mercy of that God whose 
divine Son died to save all, with whom we 
trust he is now enjoying the reward of the 
righteous. 

On the following morning, the funeral ser- 
vice was read over the remains of the deceased, 
and they were committed to the fathomless 
deep. 

From this period, our time passed on as 
usual, following our customary avocations, the 
weather at times boisterous and unpleasant, un- 
til we were off the island of Madagascar, which 
we made on the 29th inst. bearing, per com- 
pass, NW. by W. J W. ; and from the descrip- 
tion given by late navigators, (however the accu- 
racy of the statement may be depended upon,) 



40 DESCRIPTION OF MADAGASCAR. 

is one of the largest and most fertile islands in 'j 
the world. It is situated between 43 and 51 ^ 
degrees of east longitude, and between 12 and 
26 south latitude, 300 miles southeast of the 
continent of Africa, it being nearly 1000 miles 
from north to south in length, and generally *J 
between 200 and 309 miles broad. 

The sea rolls with great rapidity, and is 
extremely rough between this island and the 
continent of Africa, forming a channel or pas- 
sage through which all European ships, in 
their voyage to and from India, generally sail, 
unless prevented by storms. 

Madagascar is a pleasant, desirable, and fer- 
tile country, and, from its products, gives abun- 
dant indications that nature has here scattered 
her riches with no stinting hand. There is a 
chain of glorious mountains winding through 
its entire length, of varied height, where many 
large and navigable rivers take their source. 
It affords also an agreeable variety of hills, 
valleys, and woods. The air is healthy, and 
generally temperate, though in a hot climate. 
The inhabitants are of diiferent complexions 
and religions, — -some white, some negroes, 
some Mahommedans, some pagans. 

The whites, and those of a tawny complex- 
ion, who inhabit the coasts, are descended 



ECLIPSE. 41 

from the Arabs, as is evident from their lan- 
guage and religious rites ; but here are no 
mosques, no temples, nor any stated worship, 
except that they offer sacrifices of beasts on 
particular occasions, — as when sick, when 
they plant yams or rice, when they hold their 
assemblies, circumcise their children, declare 
war, enter into new-built houses, or bury their 
dead. Some of their ceremonies and prac- 
tices resemble the Jewish, whence it is conjec- 
tured they are descended from Jews, who for- 
merly settled here, though no one knows how 
or when. 

This island was first discovered by the Por- 
tuguese, in the year 1492. The French have 
made several attempts to settle here, but were 
always repelled by the natives. There seems 
nothing wanting but knowledge to place this 
iaro;e and beautiful island in the rank of o^reat 
and powerful empires, but that want is eyery 
thing. 

About a week after we had lost sight of the 
island of Madagascar, we made another, called 
Rodriguez ; but it being a place of little or no 
note, I cannot give any description of it. 

At 8, P. M. on the 3d of October, my atten- 
tion was suddenly called away from other 
objects, to notice an eclipse of the moon, two 
4* 



42 SWIMMING. 

thirds of its disk being obscured. An occur- 
rence of this description affords an excellent 
opportunity to the navigator, to find the true 
and exact situation of the ship. Our latitude 
was found to be 14° 02' south, and longitude 
by the eclipse, 66^ 47' east. 

At this time, we for the most part experi- 
enced moderate breezes and extremely sultry 
weather, the thermometer being 87° in the 
shade, and 110° in the sun. The men in the 
evening were allowed to go overboard for a 
bath, providing the weather was favorable. A 
sail was arranged alongside, to prevent any 
accident taking place to the young practitioner 
in the very useful art of swimming. 

At 3, A. M. on the 14th inst. v/lien all 
nature was hushed in silence, disturbed only 
at intervals by the snores of my slumbering 
shipmates, who had stretched themselves on 
the deck, on account of the excessive heat 
preventing them from sleeping below, the' 
bright moon just sinking below the horizon, 
and the glittering stars twinkling around, — at 
this particular time, our attention was called 
to a small, dark speck on the ocean, which we 
could not make out ; but as the same ap- 
proached us, we had to use the virtue of pa- 
tience by awaiting the arrival of the same. 



ARABIAN DORIO. 43 

On its nearer approach, it was discovered to 
be an Arabian dorio : she was hailed, and we 
received a reply which w^ould have confused 
Dr. Johnson himself, putting us to a complete 
nonplus, as they spoke in Arabic. 

Having on board a native of Bombay, acting 
in the capacity of servant, on his return to his 
native country, the lungs of the boatswain's 
mates were put in full force to call him. In 
the course of a few moments he made his 
appearance on the quarter-deck, rubbing his 
eyes, half asleep and half awake, and stretch- 
ing himself with long-protracted yawns, won- 
dering why he had been disturbed from his 
nocturnal slumbers to appear before his supe- 
riors, and that too almost in a state of nudity, 
as in his hurry he had forgotten to put on his 
outer garments, so that his limbs were gently 
fanned by the morning breeze. Being made 
acquainted with the requisition for his services 
on this particular occasion, he soon mounted 
himself at the gangway, with the speaking- 
trumpet in one hand, the other being fully 
occupied in holding down that part of the 
dress which is so essentially necessary to de- 
cency. Then, as if proud of his situations he 
threw himself into a theatrical attitude, which 
would have done credit to a Cooke or Kemble, 



44 MAKE THE LAND — CRUELTY. 

exclaiming now, ''I peak dat fellow." The 
scene exhibited would, in reality, have excited 
the risible muscles of the most perfect stoic, 
not only from the part he enacted with his 
various gestures, but the oddity of the lan- 
guage, in full play, between him and the crew 
of the dorio. 

We soon, however, came to a proper under- 
standing through the medium of our interpret- 
er, who informed us she was out from Muscat 
and bound to Bombay, loaded with dates and 
other fruits, the produce of Arabia. 

On the ensuing day, we discovered high land 
on the coast of Arabia, one of the head lands, 
named the Devil's Gap, bearing, per compass, 
SW. J S. Naturally anxious to get into port, 
after the long passage we had met with from 
Rio, we were prevented from attaining our 
wish, in consequence of light baffling airs and 
calms, until the 17th, when, having received an 
Arabian pilot on board, we stood in for the 
harbor, and came to an anchor at Muscat, 
after eighty days' passage from Rio de Janeiro. 

A few days previous to our arrival at Mus- 
cat, the ship's company had been put on an 
allowance of water, and however requisite in 
many cases this restriction might be necessary, 
yet, in the present case, it was entirely needless, 



ARRIVAL AT MUSCAT. , 45 

as the ship was within a fev/ days' sail of her 
port, and at that time had upwards of thir- 
ty thousand gallons of that essential article 
of life on hoard. That quantity, upon an 
averaged computation, was sufficient for two 
months, at an allo^Yance of five hundred gal- 
lons per day. Here we were, with a scorching 
sun over our heads, famishing with thirst ; and 
yet, two days before our arrival, seven hun- 
dred gallons of water Avere taken to scrub 
and cleanse the paint-work of the ship, previ- 
ous to her arrival. The half-famished mari- 
ners actually drinking the soap suds, and fight- 
ing amongst themselves to obtain the first 
draught. Does not humanity shudder at the 
idea of this unjustifiable and thoughtless act 
upon the part of the ofiicers, or more properly 
the executive officer of the ship, in whose sole 
hands the authority of allowing more water 
was vested ? Landsmen would not credit the 
various scenes of cruelty and tyrannic oppres- 
sion I have been an eye-witness to, as well as 
a partial sufferer ; the present case is only a 
part, and not to be compared to others, which 
were done by these " gentlemen of the epau- 
lette," during the cruise, and which I shall 
note as they happened. 

On our arrival, we were informed that the 



46 ARRIVAL AT MUSCAT. 

John Adams had been here, and left ag-ain for 
Bombay. After having furled the sails and 
put every thing in its proper place and position, 
the sultan's flag was hoisted at the fore, and 
we fired a salute of twenty-one gunSj which 
was duly returned by the forts ashore. 



CHAPTER IV. 

What is life ? tis but a madness. 
What is life ? A wild illusion, 
Fleeting shadow, fond delusion, 
Short-lived joy that ends in sadness. 
Whose most steadfast substance seei 
But the dream of other dreams. 

Anonymous. 

Another Death — Arabia — Description of— Customs, 
Manners, &c. — Bedouins, or roving Arabs— Mahom- 
et's Tomb— Muscat— Account of — Visit of Capt. Cal- 
forn — The Imaun visits the Ship, his reception, &c. — 
Another Death. 

As the rumbling noise of the last gun fired, 
and the echo of the same, \yhich was responded 
by the gigantic mountains by which we were 
surrounded, was still upon our ears, and the 
smoke of the same winding along in a graceful 
curve on the surface of the water, — -at that mo- 
ment the spirit of another of my shipmates 
was wafted away, with that dying sound, to the 
presence of his heavenly Creator. 

The individual alluded to was an elderly 
man, named John Clark, (quarter gunner,) who 
was taken ill but a few moments previous 



48 ANOTHER DEATH ARABIA, 

to his death. He appeared to enjoy his usual 
heahh at the earlier part of the day, ar.d pur- 
sued the usual course of his duty. At the 
time this melancholy incident took place, the 
heat of the atmosphere was most oppressive, 
the thermometer being SO'^ in the shade, and 
110° in the sun. 

From sLd)sequent inquiries, I ascertained 
that, notwithstanding the oppressive heat of the 
weather, the unfortunate man had carelessly 
exposed himself, by attending to his duties 
bareheaded in the heat of the sun, and to 
which cause his consequent death is attrib- 
uted. 

On the following morning, his remains were 
conveyed on shore for interment. A few of 
the petty officers and his messmates, attending 
the same to the peaceful, silent grave. 

Arabia, in which Muscat is situated, on the 
sea coast, has always preserved its ancient 
name. The word Arab, it is generally said, 
signifies a robber or freebooter. These names 
justly belong to the Arabians ; for they seldom 
let any merchandise pass through the country 
without extorting something from the owners, 
if they do not rob them. 

The mountains of Horeb and Sinai, men- 
tioned in the holy Scriptures, lie in Arabia 



DESCRIPTION OF ARABIA. 49 

Petrae, and may be termed as belonging to the 
principal natural curiosities. 

From Mount Sinai may be seen Mount 
Horeb, where Moses kept the flocks of Jethro, 
his father-in-law, when he saw the burning 
bush, and on the former he received the ten 
commandments. On these mountains are many 
chapels and cellsj and the Mahometans hold 
this spot in great veneration. The Christians 
have a monastery built here, which is possessed 
by Latin monks, who, like the religious at 
Jerusalem, pretend to show the very spot 
where every miracle or transaction recorded 
in Scripture happened. It is surrounded by a 
high wall, and the visiters, who go in and out, 
are let down and drawn up by baskets ; and, 
from the various articles shown, v/ith the ex- 
planations given by the monks, and the infor- 
mation derived by the visiters, it reminds me 
of those beautiful lines, as expressed by Byron, 
who says, 

Holy ground ; 
No earth of thine is lost in vulgar mould, 
But one vast realm of wonder spreads around. 
And all the Muses' tales seem truly told, 
Till the sense aches with gazing to behold. 

The Arab'ans, like most of the nations of 
Asia, are of a middle stature, thin, and of a 

5 



50 THE BEDOUINS. 

swarthy complexion, with black hair and black 
eyes. They are swift of foot, excellent horse- 
men, and are said to be, in general, a martial, 
brave people, expert at the bow and the lance, 
and since they became acquainted with the 
use of firearms, good marksmen. The inhabit- 
ants of the inland country live in tents, and 
remove from place to place with their flocks 
and herds. 

The habit of the roving Arabs, (a few of 
whom visited our ship,) termed the Bedouins, 
is a kind of blue shirt, tied about them with a 
sash or girdle ; they also wear drawers, and 
sometimes slippers, but no stockings, and have 
a cap or turban on their head. Many of them 
go almost naked ; but the women are so 
wrapped up that nothing can be seen but their 
eyes. 

The most useful animals in Arabia are cam- 
els and dromedaries : they are most amazingly 
fitted by Providence for traversing the dry and 
parched deserts of this country, for they are 
so formed that they can throw up water from 
their stomachs into their throats, by which 
means they can travel six or eight days with- 
out water. A camel will usually carry about 
eight hundred pounds weight upon its back, 
which is not taken off during the journey ; for 



Mahomet's tobib. 51 

they naturally kneel down to their rest, and in 
due time rise with their load. 

The Arabians, in general, are such thieves, 
that travellers and pilgrims are struck with 
terror on approaching the deserts. 

These robbers, headed by a captain, trav- 
erse the country on horseback, and plunder 
and assault the caravans. 

The air of Arabia is excessively hot and 
dry, and the country is subject to hot, pesti- 
lential winds: the soil, in many parts, is noth- 
ing more than immense sands, which, when 
agitated, roll like the troubled ocean, and 
bury whole caravans in their course. 

The religion of the Arabs is Mahomedan- 
ism, the burial-place of their prophet being 
situated at a small town called Medina, where 
there is a stately mosque built and supported 
by four hundred pillars, and furnished with 
three hundred silver lamps, which are continu- 
ally burning. His coffin is covered with cloth 
of gold, under a canopy of silver tissue. 

The Arabs are descended from Ishmael, of 
whose posterity it was foretold that they 
should be invincible, — "have their hands 
against every man, and every man's hand 
against them." They are independent and 
unconquerable at present, and have so re- 



52 ACCOUNT OF MUSCAT. 

mained from remotest ages, during the various 
conquests of the Greeks, Romans, and Tar- 
tars, — a convincing proof of the divinity of 
this prediction. 

The books which treat of their language, 
say that they have no less than a thousand 
terms to express the word camel, and five hun- 
dred for that of lion. But among these are 
reckoned the metaphorical expressions and 
images of their poets. 

Having thus given a description of Arabia, 
with its various novelties, in a limited degree, 
I add an account of the town and harbor of 
Muscat, where we are at present lying. It 
is situated in the mouth of the Gulf of Ormus, 
in latitude 23° 37' north, and longitude 58° 
30' east : it has an excellent harbor, and is well 
fortified, there being two castles situated at the 
entrance of the same, as also another built on 
the peak of one of the mountains, and which 
is used as a look-out house, erected by the 
Portuguese in the year 1650, who had posses- 
sion of the place, but were repelled by the 
grandfather of the present Imaun, and it has 
remained in the possession of the Arabs from 
that period. 

The churches, as originally built by the Por- 
tuguese, have been converted into mosques, 



VISIT OF CAPT. CALFORN. 53 

answering the purposes of religious worship, 
however different the creeds may be. 

This port has long been an emporium of the 
trade of India, Persia, and Arabia ; and Eng- 
lish ships from Hindostan carry on a trade 
with this town. 

Shortly after our arrival, we were visited by 
Capt. Calforn, holding a commission in the 
sultan's navy, and, from information received, 
I believe he holds a tolerable share of ships of 
that description, the greater part of which 
were at different ports on the coast, and cruis- 
ing around. Capt. Calforn, who was also 
accompanied by the American consul, was 
saluted when he came on board, and the salute 
was echoed by the forts. The captain was a 
most agreeable looking man, dressed in the 
costume of his native country : he seemed to 
attract the attention of all the officers by his 
gentlemanly manners, and the affability of his 
disposition. He spoke the English language 
remarkably well, having been in England. He 
was for some time in the British naval service. 
On the 21st inst. his highness the Imaun, of 
Muscat, having previously signified an inten- 
tion of visiting the ship, the crew were actively 
employed, from the earlier part of the day, in 
making preparations for his reception, so as to 
5* 



54 VISIT OF THE IMAUN. 

give him a specimen of American hospitality, 
in return for his kindness in rendering all pos- 
sible assistance to the officers and crew of the 
United States ship Peacock, which, on a for- 
mer occasion, had unfortunately got ashore on 
the coast, and had succeeded in getting off 
again by the aid sent from Muscat. 

His highness came on board at 2, P. M. all 
the officers being on deck to receive him. The 
marine guard was drawn out, headed by their 
commanding officer, in full uniform, and under 
arms upon the quarter-deck; and the yards 
were manned by the blue jackets, (or sailors,) 
in white frocks and trowsers. The scene ex- 
hibited on the occasion had a very imposing 
appearance. 

Shortly after his appearance on board, the 
drums beat to quarters, that his highness might 
have a better opportunity of inspecting the 
crew ; and every man was at his respective gun 
on the instant, as if by natural instinct. 

He appeared much pleased with our general 
appearance, and gave every mark of satisfac- 
tion that he was so. 

After partaking of a slight repast, he again 
left for the shore, when the same polite atten- 
tions were paid him as on his arrival ; the 
yards being again manned, the sailors at this 



DEATH PUNISHMENT. 55 

time exerting their lungs with three spontane- 
ous cheers, and a sahite made by our iron bull- 
dogs, with a much louder noise, to the number 
of twenty-one, which was returned by the forts 
ashore. 

Our attention was called away, on the follow- 
ing day, from our customary duties, for a 
short time, to pay the last sad duties to the 
memory of another of our crew, named Henry 
Keating, aged 21, who, just upon the verge of 
ripening manhood, was called away to his last, 
long home. His remains were sent on shore 
for interment in the same ground with those 
of his former shipmate, John Clark, of whose 
death I have given an account. 

This morning there were two hundred and 
forty lashes served out in a short space of 
time. The boatswain's mate afterwards ac- 
knowledged to me, that his arm was never so 
fatigued before. These back rations were 
served upon twenty of the berth deck cooks, 
for the following trivial offence : It was " cus- 
tomary " on board of this ship, however " un- 
customary " in other men of war, for the first 
lieutenant to go round the berth deck every 
morning, and inspect the men's " tin pots and 
pans," with a j)iece of white paper, with 
which he wiped the insides of the said pots 



66 LIEUT. MAGRUDER. 

and pans, and if the least soil came off on the 
paper, the owner was sure to receive a dozen 
lashes from this molhj coddle of tin ware. 

Cleanliness on ship board is absolutely neces- 
sary, and should be enforced ; but even clean 
tin will soil white paper, especially when damp- 
ened, as at sea ; and cleanliness can be en- 
forced on an American by a kind word, more 
effectually than by a dozen lashes. 

But not so, it seems, thought the first Lieu- 
tenant Magruder, whose time was generally 
occupied, during the cruise, in keeping the 
carpenters at work, for the purpose of making 
him fancy articles of furniture, and that, too, 
at the expense of the government, from which 
he was receiving his daily pay. Magruder was 
a very economical man, every one will allow ; 
and it was a most admirable method to furnish 
a house cheap ! 



CHAPTEE V. 

He that steals my purse, steals trash : 

'T was mine, 't is his, and has been slave to thousands : 

But he that filches from me my good name, 

Takes that which not enriches Mm, and 

Makes me poor indeed. 

Shakspeare. 

Leave Muscat— Arrive at Bombay— Board a Brig— Ac- 
count of Bombay — An awkvv-ard Afiair — Honesty the 
best Policy — Description of the Hindoos generally — 
The Air, Climate, &c.— The late Tippoo Saib— Visits 
— Another Death — Bad Provisions — Leave Bombay for 
Goa — The Sea-coast, &c. 

On the 26th October Ave got under way 
and proceeded on our cruise, bound to Bom- 
bay, where we arrived on the 1st day of No- 
vember, nothing of any particular moment 
transpiring during the passage, which was 
short, and meeting with favorable winds on the 
same. 

As we were on the point of entering the 
harbor, we perceived a brig standing out under 
American colors : a boat was immediately 
lowered down and despatched alongside, when 



58 ACCOUNT OF BOMBAY. 

it was found to be the brig Cherokee, bound 
to Salem. This aiForded an excellent oppor- 
tunity to our mariners to send letters to their 
respective families and friends, which was em- 
braced by many. It cannot in the least be 
doubted there were many tender epistles sent 
to the lovelier and softer sex, such as the dark- 
eyed beauty, and the blue or hazel-eyed girl of 
their souls, breathing forth vows of eternal con- 
stancy and truth, informing thern of their wel- 
fare, so that they might not let their 

Love canker; like a worm 
In the bud. 

Many a tender epistle, too, to a fond, despair- 
ing wife, and many a one from a half-repentant 
prodigal son to a distracted and bereaved 
mother. 

On coming to anchor, we perceived our con- 
sort, the John Adams, in a similar position, 
having arrived from Muscat a few days pre- 
vious. As customary, and according to naval 
etiquette, the English colors were hoisted at the 
fore, and a salute fired of twenty-one guns, 
which was returned. 

Bombay is situated in 18° 56' north latitude, 
and 72° 43' east longitude, and is one of the 
three presidencies belonging to the East India 
Company, and under the regulation of the 



ACCOUNT OF BOMBAY. 59 

English government, by which their territories 
are governed^ It has a fine capacious harbor, 
or bay, where fleets find security in all seasons, 
and can conveniently contain one thousand 
ships at anchor. The island itself is about 
seven miles in length and twenty in circumfer- 
ence ; but its situation and its harbor are its 
chief recommendations. 

The climate was in former years fatal to 
English constitutions, till experience, caution, 
and temperance taught them preservatives 
against its fatal miasma. The best water is 
preserved in tanks, which receive it in the 
rainy seasons. The fort is a regular quadran- 
gle, and well built, of stone. Many black mer- 
chants reside here. The English have found 
methods to render this island and town, under 
all their disadvantages, a safe if not an agree- 
able residence. 

The reader need scarcely to be informed 
that the governor and council of Bombay have 
lucrative posts, as well as the officers under 
them. The troops on the island are command- 
ed by English officers, several of whom visited 
our ship ; and the natives, when formed into 
regular companies and disciplined, are here 
and all over the East Indies called Sepoys. 
The inhabitants of the island amount to near 



60 THE HINDOOS. 

sixty thousand, of different nations, each of 
whom enjoys the practice of his religion unmo- 
lested. 

We were daily visited by many who came 
on board attracted by motives cf curiosity or 
amusement. Some came to visit us with those 
ideas, and others to display their articles of 
merchandise to the willing purchaser. They 
principally consisted of fancy ornaments, such 
as jewelry, handkerchiefs, &c. 

I have here to pause, to note rather an un- 
pleasant affair which transpired, and which 
was calculated to cast a blemish upon the gen- 
eral character of many an individual, who w^as 
not only innocent, but not even an observer of 
the transaction. One of these petty merchants 
lost some sliawls, and he immediately laid the 
loss to some of the crew who were standing by. 
Whether such was the case or not is hard to be 
proved : it appears the property was never seen 
or recovered. Whether it was a preconcerted 
scheme of his own to get something in return 
for an imaginary loss, I know not. The truth 
of the affair was never known, except to the all- 
searching eye of God. 

The principal part of our visiters consisted 
of the Hindoos. I was particularly struck 
with the simplicity of their general appearance, 



DEESS, CUSTOBIS, ETC. 61 

and cleanliness of their dress and persons. 
Many of them were dressed in the European 
fashion, others in the costume of their country, 
which in the men consists of a kind of close- 
bodied gown and trowsers, resembling petti- 
coats, reaching down to their slippers. Such 
of the women as appear in public have shawls 
over their head and shoulders, short close jack- 
ets, and tight drawers, which come down to 
their ankles. Hence the dress of the men gives 
them, in the eyes of Europeans, an appearance 
of effeminacy, Vt'hile that of the women seems 
rather masculine. 

The complexion of the Hindoos is black, 
hair long, persons straight and elegant, 
limbs finely proportioned, fingers long and 
tapering, countenances open and pleasant, 
and their features exhibit the most delicate 
lines of beauty in the females, and in the 
males a kind of manly softness. 

Their houses cover much ground, and have 
spacious galleries and accommodations of ev- 
ery kind. The apartments are small and not 
very elegant, if we except the rich Persian 
carpets, with which the floors are usually cov- 
ered. The apparel of the higher sort of wo- 
men is, in most instances, inconceivably rich. 
They have jewels on their fingers and about 
6 



62 LATE TIPPOO SAIB. 

their necks, and also in their ears and nostrils ; 
with bracelets on their wrists and arms and 
round their ankles. 

Their manners are gentle ; their happiness 
consists in the solace of a domestic life ; and 
they are taught by their religion that matri- 
mony is an indispensable duty in every man, 
who does not entirely devote himself to the 
principles of religion by a separation from the 
world. Their religion permits them to have 
several wives, but they seldom have more than 
one ; and it has been observed that their wives 
are distinguished by a decency of demeanor, a 
solicitude for their families, and a fidelity to 
their vows, which might do honor to human 
nature in the most civilized countries. 

Their religion forbids them to quit their own 
country, nor do they want any thing from 
abroad. They might therefore have lived in 
much tranquillity and happiness, if others had 
looked on them with the same indifference 
with which they regard the rest of the world. 

Hindostan towards the north is pretty tem- 
perate, but hot in -the south, and it rains al- 
most constantly for three months in the year. 
In the year 1792, war was declared on the part 
of the British against the celebrated Tippoo 
Saib, who was defeated, and his capital taken 



BAD PROVISIONS. 63 

by assault, together with an immense quantity 
of phinder. 

In the onset Tippoo Saib lost his life, and 
by his fall a great extent of territory accrued 
to the British ; and the power of the latter is 
now secured on a permanent foundation. 

The high-priests, or Brahmins, have the 
care of their religion and laws, and these 
persons are held sacred by the Hindoos. 

During our stay in Bombay we were honor- 
ed by a visit from his excellency the governor, 
as also the commander-in-chief of the British 
forces in India, who were each and severally 
saluted according to their rank. 

Previous to leaving this port, our purser 
purchased bread and beef for the men, which 
had been cast aside as unfit for use by the En- 
glish East Indiarnen. The bread was full of 
weevils, or small black bugs, and so hard that 
we were obliged to break it with a piece of 
iron, or the first article that came to hand ; 
and when thus broken, was like so much flint- 
glass. To this bread I impute the commence- 
ment of the dysentery in the ship, (however 
wrong I may be in my judgment,) for it was 
in many instances absolutely of sufficient sharp- 
ness to cut the entrails. 

The beef, also the refuse of these English 



64 LEAVE BOBIBAY. 

vessels, was actually too disgusting for smell. 
Had there been no better on shore, it is rea- 
sonable to suppose that the Englishmen would 
have tried to stomach this in preference to 
starving to death. 

On the 11th November we got under way, 
and left the harbor of Bombay, with our con- 
sort, the John Adams, bound to a Portuguese 
settlement named Goa. Shortly after our de- 
parture, we had the unpleasant duty to fulfil 
of consigning the rem.ains of another of the 
crew to the deep. Alexander Wilkinson was 
past all the aid of medical skill, having been 
lingering for a length of time wdth a deep- 
rooted consumption ; so that his death had 
been long expected. 

After a pleasant passage of five days, we 
came to an anchor in the roads of Goa, with 
the John Adams. The tract of the peninsula 
that borders on the sea between Bombay and 
Goa, is called the Concan, and sometimes the 
Pirate Coast, as it was subject to the celebrated 
pirate Angria, and his successors, whose capi- 
tal was the strong fortress of Gheriah, taken 
by the English and Mahrattas in 1755. By 
this acquisition the Mahrattas have become a 
maritime power. 

On our arrival at Goa the usual naval cus- 



THE SEA-COAST. 65 

torn was adopted, the Portuguese colors being 
hoisted at the fore, and a salute fired, which 
was returned by the forts on shore. The town 
was scarcely perceptible to the naked eye from 
the ship, as it is situated some distance from 
the usual place of anchorage for ships of large 
burthen. 

The ensuing morning a Portuguese frigate 
also arrived, and came to an anchor near us. 



6* 



CHAPTER VI. 

We weigh the anchor, and spread the sail, 
And full of faith before the gale 
We bound ; the west winds softly blow, 
As eastward on our course we go j 
And soon around nought meets our eye 
But outspread sea and outstretched sky. 

Account of Goa — The late Inquisition— Leave the Har- 
bor — Ghaut Mountains— Cape Comorin — The Pearl 
Fishery — Account of operations — Make Ceylon — An- 
chor at Colu mho— Description of Ceylon — The Cin- 
namon Tree — Talipot Tree — Its various uses — The 
Cingalese — Arrivals — A very feeling remark. 

The island and city of Goa is situated on 
the coast of Malabar, in 15° 35' north latitude, 
and 73° 50' east longitude. It is the capital 
of the Portuguese settlements in the East In- 
dies, and lies about 260 miles south of Bom- 
bay. This island is about twenty-seven miles 
in compass : it is one of the finest and best 
ports, as far as regards the fortifications, of 
any in the Indies. 

This was formerly a most splendid city, and 
was surpassed, either in size or beauty, by few 



ACCOUNT OF GOA. 67 

of the European cities. It is said that the rev- 
enues of the Jesuits upon the island equaled 
those of the crown of Portugal. Goa, as well 
as the rest of the Portuguese possessions of 
this coast, are under a viceroy, who still keeps 
up some remains of the ancient splendor of the 
government. 

The town is built on the north side of the 
island, and has the conveniency of a fine river, 
capable of receiving ships of the largest bur- 
then, where they lie VvitLin a mile of the town. 

It contains a great number of handsome 
churches and convents, and a stately hospital. 
The market-place occupies an acre of ground : 
in the shops about it may be found the produce 
of Europe, China, and other countries. 

It was noted in former ages for the terrors 
of the inquisition, which it contained, and 
which is said to have exceeded the one exist- 
ing in those days in Spain, for the horrid cru- 
elties practised therein, and which were carried 
on by persons under the cursed infatuation of 
blind superstition, who thought they were per- 
forming an act of glory to their Maker by tor- 
menting their fellow-men, under the sacred 
garb of religion. 

The following account of the ruins was given 
me by an officer who had visited them : 

" In the evening I went to survey, without fear 



68 THE LATE INQUISITION. 

of consequences, the buildings of the once 
dreaded inquisition. These are of plain ma- 
sonry, of various heights and irregular form, 
approaching to that of a parallelogram, three 
hundred and twenty feet on the north front, 
and a hundred and seventy-five at the east 
end. The principal entrance, facing the city 
cathedral, is through a large portal of stone. 
What were our feelings on entering within the 
hideous enclosure ! Nothing but ruin instantly 
met our eyes. The roof had fallen in ; the 
floors everywhere giving way ; and the walls 
were mouldering towards early destruction ; 
while shrubs and creepers were growing luxu- 
riantly upon the tottering masses, and through 
the ruptured battlements. The great hall had 
been stripped of its gloomy magnificence, a 
painted surface, consisting of a few triangular 
figures alone remaining ; while the rotten floor, 
overgrown with grass, felt scarcely safe to 
tread upon. Indeed, it was with some degree 
of trepidation that we walked across the vari- 
ous apartments through which we were led ; 
the crazy timbers and floors frequently creak- 
ing and yielding, as though they would have 
failed beneath our feet. 

" Descending to the dungeons below, it was 
with difiiculty we could make our way from 
one recess to another, doors, walls and ceilings 



THE LATE INQUISITION. 69 

mingling their materials together in heaps of 
rubbish. At length we found a narrow stair- 
case which conducted us to the principal cellSj 
in the deepest, darkest strongholds of this cas- 
tle of despair and death. 

" These were formed below the level of the 
ground, and consist of three rows, each con- 
taining six cells, ten feet square below, by fif- 
teen high, with arched roofs, and small iron- 
barred windows, to admit a little air, and less 
light. Indeed, on first entering one of these 
dens, we could scarcely see each other, or dis- 
tinguish the dimensions. All the doors have 
been removed ; but it vv^as apparent that, besides 
locks and bolts, two heavy wooden bars had 
been employed to fasten them on the outside. 

" The cells stand in three parallel lines, hav- 
ing the same aspect ; so that the doors of one 
row face the back of the row before them, pre- 
venting the possibility of communication be- 
tween the prisoners confined in the one with 
those confined in the other. The walls are 
very thick. A veranda, five feet wide, support- 
ed by pillars, extends in front of each row of 
cells ; and between the veranda and the row 
beyond is an area of the same breadth. At 
right angles with these, and at either end are 
two other ranges, each containing seven dis- 
tinct dungeons. 



70 THE LATE INQUISITION. 

" One of these latter had been employed as 
the room for examining the miserable beings 
that fell into the clutches of the inquisitors, by 
the torture. This was indicated by a broad, 
black stripe, all about the upper part of the 
walls, with similar stripes extending from an- 
gle to angle and crossing in the middle. 

" In the roof of this apartment there is a small 
square aperture, through which it is said the 
inhuman judges listened to the confessions, the 
groans and shrieks of their agonized victims, 
while the rope and the rack stretched their 
limbs to dislocation, or torments more exqui- 
site, by fire and steel, were inflicted upon 
them. 

*' Over these five rows of cells there have been 
upper stories, now dilapidated, which appear 
to have been of the same construction and for 
the same purposes as the lower. 

*' The last auto-da-fe, or public execution of 
condemned persons, here took place in 1777 ; 
from which time, till the holy office was abso- 
lutely abolished by the interference of the Brit- 
ish government in 1811, the bodies of the 
wretches that perished within the walls of the 
inquisition here, either under the torture or by 
direct violence, or from heart-breaking cap- 
tivity, are said to have been thrown into a very 



CAPE COMORIN. 71 

deep tank, within the precincts of the dungeon 
quarter. 

'^ The original structure was the^palace of a 
JMahomedan prince, afterwards the residence 
of the Portuguese viceroy, then converted into 
a Popish "place of torment," which deserved a 
harder name than that of purgatory. Now 
happily it is " a desolation," and will be a 
''perpetual scorn," so long as one stone shall 
remain upon another to cry out against its for- 
mer priestly possessors." 

Our stay at Goa was short, leaving it on the 
following morning, with the John Adams, for 
Columbo, in the island of Ceylon. We were 
in sight of the coast of Hindostan the greater 
part of the passage, and, it being remarkably 
bold, we were frequently close in shore. When 
off a town called Aleppee, we could discern, 
with the naked eye several ships at anchor ia 
the harbor. 

The scenery occasionally displayed was ro- 
mantic in the extreme, the whole being sur- 
mounted by the stupendous Ghaut mountains, 
whose summits appeared to be lost in the 
clouds. They are situated in the country of 
Mysore, the capital of which, Seringapatam, is 
now held by the English. They extend from 
the Surat river to Cape Comorin, running 



I 



72 THE PEARL FISHERY. 

within sixty, and at some parts within twenty 
miles of the coast. 

They are in many places a mile and a quar- ;■ 
ter in height, overgrown with forests, and have 
their summits frequently covered with snow. 
They are usually termed the Indian Apennines. 
At their termination, near Cape Comorin, they- 
may be seen nine or ten leagues out at sea. 

We passed the above cape on the 23d No- 
vember, situated in latitude 7"^ 50' north, and 
longitude 77° 33' east. It is about 3 leagues 
in extent, and is famous for uniting in the same 
garden the two seasons of the year; the trees 
being loaded with blossoms and fruit on the 
one side, while on the other they are stripped 
of all their foliage. This surprising phenome- 
non is owing to the ridge of mountains I 
have just mentioned, called the Ghauts. Be- 
tween this cape and the island of Ceylon, to 
which we were bound, lies the pearl fishery. 

As there exist many popular errors on this 
very interesting subject, I will endeavor to 
give an account of the fishery from materials 
which I have derived from the most authentic 
sources. It is from the description given by a 
British officer, who was for a considerable time 
stationed, with part of the regiment to which 
he belonged, at the very spots where the pearl 
fisheries were carried on. 



ACCOUNT OF OPERATIONS. 73 

The pearl oysters, like our common oysters, 
lie in clusters, at greater or less depths in the 
sea. These clusters occur on the western side 
of the island of Ceylon, about fifteen miles 
from the shore, where their average depth is 
about twelve father. s ; and here the greatest 
of all pearl fisheries have been carried on for 
many ages. 

The fishery begins in the month of April, 
because in these latitudes the sea is then in its 
calmest state, and it is generally continued un- 
til the middle or end of May. It not only at- 
tracts a multitude of Cingalese, or natives of 
the island, to the coast, but crowds of specula- 
tors from all parts of the vast Indian peninsula, 
whose variety of manners, language, and dress 
is described as being very striking and pleasing. 

The temporary abodes erected for them, or 
by them, are also curious and picturesque ob- 
jects. On a solitary sea-shore a mass of al- 
most innumerable huts is at once seen to arise 
on the eve of the fishery. These huts are 
merely composed of a few poles stuck in the 
ground, and interwoven with light bamboos, 
and covered with the leaves of the cocoa-nut 
tree. These slender erected habitations often 
shelter as many as one hundred thousand per- 
sons. 

7 



74 MAKE CEYLON. 

The signal given for beginning the fishery- 
is bj the discharge of a cannon at daybreak. 
The boats of the pearl fishers generally carry 
a captain, a pilot, and twenty men, ten of 
whom are experienced divers. The divers are 
divided into two companies, and they plunge 
and relieve each other by turns. 

During the prosecution of the fishery, few 
places can be more animated than the western 
point of Ceylon. The oysters, or cleansed 
pearls, are bought and sold on the spot ; and be- 
side this trade, the confluence of so many 
crowds from different countries attracts dealers 
in all sorts of merchandise. 

The long line of huts is a continuous bazar, 
and all is life and activity ; but, the fishery 
over, both strangers and natives depart, the 
huts are knocked down, scarcely a human 
habitation can be seen for miles, and the 
most dreary solitude prevails until the next 
year. 

We made the island of Ceylon on the 24th 
inst. but did not come to an anchor oft' the 
town of Columbo, with the John Adams, until 
the ensuing day, when the ship was moored, 
the English colors hoisted, and the same sa- 
luted, which was duly returned by the forts 
ashore. 



THE CINNAMON TREE. 75 

This island, though not the largest, is thought 
to be by nature the richest and finest island in 
the world : it is about 259 miles long and 200 
broad. The natives call it, with some show of 
reason, the terrestrial paradise ; and it produces, 
besides excellent fruit of all kinds, long pep- 
per, fine cotton, ivory, silk, tobacco, ebony, 
musk, crystal, various minerals, spices, and all 
kinds of precious stones except diamonds. 
Every part of the island is well wooded and 
watered : it abounds in animals of every de- 
scription. The Ceylon elephant is preferred 
to all others, especially if spotted ; several 
noxious animals, such as serpents and ants, are 
likewise found here. The chief commodity of 
the island is its cinnamon, which is by far the 
best in all Asia. Though the trees of this 
flavoring spice grow in great profusion, yet 
the best are found in the neighborhood of Co- 
lumbo, off which town we anchored. The 
cinnamon tree grows to the height of twenty- 
five or thirty feet, and the stem to a diameter 
of from twelve to fifteen inches : the young 
leaves have a scarlet, crimson color, and the 
bark of the shoots is often beautifully speckled 
with dark green and light orange color. The 
tree thrives best in rich, light, dry soil, and 



76 



TALIPOT TREE USES. 



some degree of shelter from the ardent rays of 
the sun seems to be beneficial to it. The 
highly esteemed spice is the prepared bark of 
the tree : the shoots are peeled by making a 
longitudinal incision through the bark on both 
sides, and then introducing a knife under the 
bark, and thereby separating it from the wood. 
The leaves of the cinnamon tree yield an es- 
sential oil, which exactly resembles the oil of 
cloves, and the bark of the root is strongly 
impregnated v/ith camphor, from which it may 
be extracted by a chemiical process. 

One of the most remarkable trees in Ceylon 
is the talipot tree ; and there are few objects 
in the vegetable kingdom more remarkable and 
beautiful, or more useful to man. It is as big 
and as tall as the mast of a ship ; the stem is 
perfectly straight, which gradually diminishes 
as it ascends, and it is strong enough to resist 
the most violent tropical wind. The great 
usefulness of the tree is in its leaves, which, 
when expanded, are of a beautiful dark green 
color. Those chiefly used are cut before they 
spread out, and have, and retain for ages, a 
pale, brownish, yellow color, not unlike old 
parchment : some of them are so large as to 
cover fifteen or twenty men. The shape is 



TALIPOT TREE USES. 77 

precisely that of a fan, and, like that ladies^ 
artificial cooler, it can be closed or expanded, 
and with almost as little exertion. It is in 
fact used as a fan by the Cingalese or natives, 
and is at the same time their only parasol, to 
defend them from the scorching rays of the 
sun, or umbrella, to protect them from the 
heavy rain ; in addition to which uses, it forms 
their only tent when in the field, and, cut up 
into strips, it serves them to write upon instead 
of paper. The leaf is so light that an entire 
one can be carried in the hand ; but it is always 
reduced for the sake of convenience. What- 
ever quantity of water may faK upon the leaf, 
it imbibes no humidity, remaining light and 
dry as ever. 

The British troops, in their campaign, in the 
jungles, against the Cingalese, in 1817-18, 
found, to their cost, how excellent a preserva- 
tive it was against wet and damp. The enemy's 
musket men were each furnished with a tali- 
pot leaf, by means of which they always kept 
their powder and arms perfectly dry, and could 
fire upon the invading forces ; whilst frequently 
the British muskets, which had no such protec- 
tion, were rendered useless by the heavy rains, 
and the moisture of the woods and thickets, 
7* 



78 TALIPOT TREE USES. 

and the British were consequently unable to 
return the fire of the natives. 

When used in lieu of paper, they are cut 
into strips, soaked for a short time in boiling 
water, and rubbed backwards and forwards 
over a smooth piece of wood, to make them 
pliable, and then carefully dried. 

They write or engrave their letters upon 
them with a sharp pointed instrument, and 
then rub them over with a dark-colored sub- 
stance, which, only remaining on the parts 
so etched or scratched, gives the characters 
greater relief, and makes them more easy to 
read. The coloring matter is rendered liquid 
by being mixed with cocoa-nut oil, and when 
dry is not easily effaced. 

A Cingalese book is a bundle of these strips 
tied up together. 

As even the lawyers and the learned in this 
country are very deficient in chronological 
knowledge, great confusion occurs as to dates, 
and it is very common to see a Cingalese 
judge attempting to ascertain the antiquity of 
a document, produced in court, by smelling or 
cutting it. 

Besides all the uses above described, the 
Cingalese employ the talipot leaf extensively 



THE CINGALESE ANIBIALS. 79 

in thatching their houses. They also manufac- 
ture hats from it : these hats are made with 
brims as broad as an outstretched umbrella, 
and are chiefly worn by women nursing, to 
defend them and their infants from the heat. 

The descendants of the ancient inhabitants 
are called Cingalese, who, though idolaters, 
value themselves upon maintaining their an- 
cient laws and customs. They are in general 
a sober, inoffensive people, and are mingled 
with Moots, Malabars, Portuguese, and Dutch. 
They are divided into several tribes, from the 
nobleman to the maker of mats, and all the 
children follow the same occupation as their 
fathers ; nor is it lawful to marry into any 
other tribe. They are pagans ; and though 
they acknowledge a supreme God, they wor- 
ship none but the inferior sort, and among 
these they reckon the sun and the moon. 

Common deer are found in this island in 
great abundance, but the horned cattle are 
very small and very scarce ; and the woods and 
jungles, are infested by that most terrible of 
all ravenous beasts, the tiger. 

I have to refer my readers to a perusal of 
Buffon's Natural History, for an accurate de- 
scription of the last-named beast of prey, as it 



80 A VERY FEELING REMARK. 

would be entirely out of my power so to do, 
as I never had the opportunity of meeting one 
face to face, to give him a friendly shake of 
the paw, according to the rules of politeness 
laid down by Lord Chesterfield ; and can posi- 
tively assure the reader, that I am not in the 
least anxious to have my knowledge (trifling 
as it may be) of the general politesse of the 
beau monde put to such an unpleasant test. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Is this a dagger which I see before me, 
The handle toward my hand ? Come, let me clutch thee. 

Macbeth. 

And withered murder 
Alammed by his sentinel, the wolf, 
Whose howl 's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, 
Towards his design, moves like a ghost. 

Idem. 

Account of Columbo — Adam's Peak — Deserij)tions of, by 
a traveller — Governor's Visit — Unwelcome News — 
Murder and Piracy on the coast^of Sumatra — Account 
of the same. 

Columbo, the modeni capital of Ceylon, off 
which our ships anchored, is situated on the 
southwest coast : the plan of the city is pretty 
regular. The two principal streets extend the 
whole length of the town, intersecting each 
other, at right angles, near the centre. 

The fort is defended by three hundred pieces 
of artillery : it is a mile and a quarter in cir- 
cumference, and nearly encompassed by the 
sea. 

From the coolness and salubrity of its situa- 



82 Adam's peak. 

tion, it forms a more comfortable residence 
than perhaps any other situation in India. 

The government house stands on the north 
side of the fort, fronting the sea : it is a hand- 
some building, consisting of two stories, witli 
two wings upon one floor : it has an elegant 
portico, leading into a lofty and capacious hall. 
About a mile apart from it stands the Portu- 
guese church, for the use of those inhabitants 
who belong to the Romish communion. 

Columbo is by far the most eligible place of 
residence in Ceylon ; for, besides the superiority 
of climate, peculiar to its locality, there is an 
agreeable mixture of society, such as cannot 
be enjoyed in the more confined circles of the 
smaller stations. 

The day after our arrival at Columbo, one 
of the crew, named Edward Marsh, (seaman,) 
met with an unfortunate accident, getting his 
right hand jammed between a cask of water, 
and the coverings of the hatch. He was obliged 
to undergo the painful operation of amputa_ 
tion, by which he was deprived of two of his 
fingers ; but, from the skilful treatment which 
he received, he was in the course of a few 
days enabled to resume his duties. 

In the island of Ceylon, there is an amazing 
high mountain, called Adam's Peak, which is 



Adam's peak. 83 

plainly discernible many leagues off. As there 
are various incidents connected with this stu- 
pendous mountain, I herewith subjoin a few of 
its peculiarities, and attendant circumstances, 
for the amusement and information of my 
readers. 

It is the highest mountain on the island, and 
has always been considered a.s a lioly mount — 
a pilgrimage to which, the Cingalese and others 
think to be highly meritorious and beneficial. 
The returning pilgrims, as an act of charity, 
always dispose of their walking staffs on the 
face of the mountain, so as to assist future 
travellers in their ascent. 

Its elevation is 6800 feet above the level of 
the sea ; the granatic peak or cone resting upon 
a high mountain, belonging to the chain which 
forms the upper rampart of the country. It is 
situated sixty miles south of Columbo : the 
road from the base of the summit, (as de- 
scribed by a traveller,) is rugged in the ex- 
treme, being covered with fragments of rocks 
and iron stone. It presents obstacles to the 
traveller, which not only require great patience 
and perseverance to surmount, but likewise a 
great resolution, endurance, and physical hard- 
ihood. 

It is of a conical shape, like the Peak of 



84 Adam's peak. 

Teneriffe, and is visible at sea, on the south- 
west coast, at a distance of fifty leagues. It 
is visited almost daily, by parties of pilgrims, 
of all ages ; some mere children, and others 
decrepit from old age. They here present 
their offerings, consisting of various articles, 
even to a lock of the hair, or a portion of the 
beard. At the conclusion of this religious 
ceremony, some passages are chanted from a 
small book, formed of palm leaves ; men, 
women, and children, joining in a loud chorus 
of responses, at the termination of each pas- 
sage. 

These passages consist of their five com- 
mandments, which are all prohibitory and for- 
bid, — 1. Killing any living creature; 2. Steal- 
ing ; 3. Committing adultery ; 4. Uttering a 
falsehood ; 5. Drinking intoxicating liquors. 

These ceremonies are mostly finished in less 
than a quarter of an hour, when the pilgrims 
retire, and make room for the next party in 
turn. 

I shall conclude the account of the above, in 
the words of one who, from motives of curiosi- 
ty, had passed the preceding night on the spot. 

He says, a little before sunrise, the sky, 
towards the east, had a bright, flame color, 
indicative of the approach of day. The sun 



governor's visit. 85 

burst forth at last, in all his glory, reminding 
him of the words of a celebrated poet, who 
thus expresses himself, at beholding the rising 
sun : 

" For thee Cassiope her chair withdraws ; 
For thee the bear retracts his shaggy paws : 
High o'er the north thy golden orb doth roll, 
And blaze eternal round the wandering pole." 

He proceeds to say, that at this time not a 
cloud intervened to dim the splendor of the 
scene. The sun, shining upon the space 
where the view terminated at the bottom of the 
mountain, increased the sublimity of the pros- 
pect. And, he observer, it was impossible to 
describe the terrific grandeur of the scene ; 
but, indeed, the prospect from the height of 
the mount was so frightful, that he believes it 
was rarely contemplated with due composure. 

During our stay in Columbo, we were, in 
addition to numerous other visiters, honored 
by a visit from the governor of the island, who 
came on board, bringing with him part of his 
family, and several of his retinue, consisting 
principally of British military officers. He 
also had in attendance, a variety of his body- 
servants ; one of the latter, I could but par- 
ticularly notice, as his size, dress, and de- 
meanor reminded me so much of Punch, as I 



86 MURDER AND PIRACY. 

once saw it enacted at one of our theatres at 
home, by the celebrated Mons. Mazurier, who, 
by his foolery and antics, got such an ascend- 
ancy in the minds of the public at that time. 

We also received, through the medium of a 
Penang paper, the unpleasant intelligence of a 
most cruel murder and piracy, which had been 
perpetrated by the Malays on the west coast 
of Sumatra, on board of an American bark, 
called the Eclipse. The following are the 
particulars, as copied verbatim from that jour- 
nal, with the editorial remarks thereon : 

To the Consular Agent for the United States of 
America, Prince of Wales Island: 

Sir, — Agreeable to your request, with the 
greatest pleasure I send you an official narra- 
tion of the murder of Capt. Wilkins, of the 
American ship Eclipse. 

From the 24th of June, the day of my arri- 
val at Tullah Pow and Muckie, and also the 
day I spoke with the Eclipse, I knew very 
little about her operations. I was informed 
that Capt. W. was many days trading at a 
village called Trabanjan, a distance of about 
twelve miles from Muckie. 

On the night of the 26th of August, at about 
2 o'clock, a man from a jolly-boat hailed the 



MURDER AND PIRACY. 87 

ship in French, claiming hospitaUty, saying 
that they were from the bark Eclipse, that the 
captain had been murdered by the Malays, 
and the second mate, who was then in the 
boat, severely wounded in the loins, and two 
sailors, wounded in several parts of the body, 
with great difficulty got on board. 

After dressing their wounds, they communi- 
cated to me the following narrative : 

On the evening of the 26th of August, 1838, 
two samprams, with twelve men in each, hav- 
ing a small quantity of pepper, came alongside 
the ship, and offered it for sale, as it frequently 
happens. The second mate, whose watch it 
was on deck, being particularly acquainted 
with Labbey Ousso Juritoolis, of Muckie, and 
knowing that he had assisted Capt. W. in his 
former voyages, thought it was no harm to 
allow him and his people to come on board, as 
they were very good friends, notwithstanding it 
was then night time. When they came up, he 
told them the captain was then asleep, and had 
been indisposed for several days, and that they 
would be obliged to wait until he awoke, to 
weigh the pepper and settle the price. He 
also told them the custom of the ship was, by 
way of precaution, to ask them for their 
weapons, which they without any objection im- 



0» MURDER AND PIRACY. 

mediately gave up, and he got them secured 
under lock and key. After this, they feigned 
to sleep on various parts of the deck, awaiting 
the approach of the captain, who came up 
about 10 o'clock, when they asked him to 
w^eigh the pepper. Labbey Ousso, feigning 
friendship with the captain, complained of the 
distrust of the second mate, and requested to 
have his own and his friends' daggers given 
back to them, which was done. From his long 
acquaintance with the man, the captain did 
not think he was doing an act of imprudence 
in giving them their daggers. 

During this time, the second mate and two of 
the sailors, were busily occupied in getting ready 
the scales, &c. for weighing the pepper that was 
on deck. As the second draft was weighing, 
the captain, who was seated by a light near 
the binacle, cried out, " I am stabbed ! " The 
second mate, who was then stooping to take 
up the bags, was stabbed in the loins ; at the 
same time, the apprentice boy, who was stand- 
ing near the captain, was killed by the same 
hand which had slain his commander. 

The second mate jumped overboard notwith- 
standing his wound, and part of the crew fol- 
lowed his example ; the remainder ran aloft. 
The second mate, and those who followed him 



MURDER AND PIRACY. 89 

afterwards returned to the ship, by means of 
some ropes which were hanging from the quar- 
ter-deck, and went up aloft to join the others, 
several of whom were wounded. 

The murderers, in the mean time*, were look- 
ing out for other victims, and found the cook 
below in irons for insubordination. He begged 
for his life, promising to show them the place 
where the money and opium was deposited. 
They immediately broke his fetters and set 
him free, and took four cases of opium, and 
$18,000 in specie, the contents of eighteen 
casks. The second mate and four sailors, who 
were on board, armed a boat, and came to us, 
leaving the ship without any guardian to take 
care of her. The carpenter and two sailors 
went on shore to join the chief mate and four 
sailors, who were on shore for the purpose of 
procuring pepper. 

On the morning of the 27th inst. we unani- 
mously agreed that the sailors should return to 
their ship and hoist the signal of distress ; to 
call the chief mate, and if he did not come, to 
accompany it with firing, which was done, on 
their arrival on board. 

1 was afterwards informed, that the ship 
Eclipse, under the command of the chief mate, 
sailed for Muckie, to take one of the chiefs of 
8* 



90 MURDER AND PIRACY. 

that place to Soosoo, to recover his losses and 
part of the opium, which the rajah of that 
place got from the robbers : these he refused 
to give up. This statement is all that I know, 
and which I give as authentic. 

(Signed,) A. Van Iseghem. 

To J. Revelly, Consular Agent of the United States of 
America, Prince of Wales Island. 

It appears that on the receipt of the above 
melancholy intelligence, the American consul 
had asked the assistance of the proper authori- 
ties at Penang to interfere for the benefit of 
the above ship, which would have been imme- 
diately granted, by sending a British man of 
war to the scene of the outrages, but that pre- 
vious arrangements rendered it utterly impos- 
sible. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

My flag is dancing on the sliies ; 
My sails are on the breeze ; 
And the wild bird screams exultingly, 
As we bound along the seas. 

Anonymous. 

FeeliDgs of the Crew — Leave Col umbo — Speak two 
Ships — Make Sumatra — An unseen Enemy — Origin of 
Small-pox — Measures adopted for prevention — Death — 
The Shark — A tit bit — Come to anchor'off Annallaboo 
— Leave again — Arrive at duallah Battoo — Poadam, 
the Malay Chief— The Rajah's conduct— The Eng- 
lish Brig. 

The deed of atrocity just I'elated could not 
be heard in silence, much more tolerated, by 
the hardy sons of the ocean, who manned our 
frigate, and who breathed forth nothing but 
vows of retributive vengeance on the heads of 
these desperate marauders, on the melancholy 
recital of the same, looking forward with the 
most intense anxiety for the opportunity to 
arrive, to carry their intentions into effect, as a 
tribute to the memory of their unfortunate 
countrymen. 



92 FEELINGS OF THE CREW. 

A convincing proof of their feelings could 
not be more uniformly displayed, than when 
the shrill pipes of the boatswain and his mates, 
on the 1st of December, called all hands to up 
anchor, which was performed with the greatest 
despatch, leaving the island of Ceylon, accom- 
panied by our consort, the John Adams, and 
bound to the spot where this outrage upon all 
civilized laws had been enacted. 

The principal part of the time during the 
passage, was engrossed in exercising the crew 
at the great guns, as also the small arms, con- 
sisting of the musket, pike, and pistol : they 
were divided into separate divisions, and de- 
nominated the musketeers, and pike and pis- 
tol men. These necessary exercises w^ere 
attended to with the most rigid attention, every 
man feeling anxious to obtain a knowledge 
of the same, as it was deemed essentially 
necessary, being in full expectation of having 
a hit of a hrush with these Malayan despera- 
does, on our arrival. 

Every brave heart was buoyant with anxious 
expectation, and every man secretly wished 
to be in the expected affray. Many, in fact, 
whose duties would confine them to the ship, 
volunteered their services, proving that they 
were most willing to risk their lives in the 



SMALL-POX. 93 

cause of humanity and justice. The star- 
spangled banner, waving over their heads, in- 
spired them with new ardor to serve their coun- 
try, even amid dangers, and brought to their 
remembrance the perils and sacrifices of their 
forefathers, who shed their blood under the 
same for the great and glorious cause of liberty 
and independence. 

During our passage, we spoke two ships, 
— one from Canton, bound to Bombay, the other 
a French vessel, out one hundred days from 
Bordeaux, and then proceeding to Calcutta. 
The day after we spoke the latter, we discovered 
high land on the coast of Sumatra. 

At this particular time, glowing, as our feel- 
ings were, at the idea of taking satisfaction on 
the desperadoes of this extensive island, who 
live on the sea-coast, these justifiable feelings 
were considerably damped at the approach of 
an enemy, who came crawling upon us with all 
its ravaging terrors, to destroy us with its 
loathsome breath. 

That direful and so much to be dreaded 
disorder, the small-pox, made its unwelcome 
appearance in the ship : the bare idea alone 
of this malady, was of itself sufficient to 
alarm ; more especially when its malignant 
operations are confined to a limited space, 



94 SMALL-POX. 

amongst a small community of individuals, con- 
fined as it were to one spot, and who, following 
their natural calling on the surface of the deep, 
have no possible opportunity afforded them of 
absenting themselves from the scene of conta- 
gion like a landsman. 

Of the numerous diseases to which mankind 
are exposed, the class denominated epidemic 
or spreading diseases are attended with the 
most alarming interest. 

In the traditions of the people of China and 
Hindostan, the small-pox was enumerated as 
one of their common disorders ; and in some 
of their earliest books, devoted to religion and 
philosophy, descriptions of it have been found 
to exist. Therefore China or Hindostan must 
be considered as the cradle of the small-pox. 
I have no means, however, of ascertaining in 
which of the two it first appeared, or of offer- 
ing a rational conjecture to explain the man- 
ner of its first production, beyond the fact that 
those countries have, from the most remote 
ages, swarmed with inhabitants, and been sub- 
ject to dreadful inroads of famine, — circum- 
stances of themselves eminently favorable to 
the generation of pestilence. 

According to the Chinese and Brahminical 
authorities, there is written evidence to show 



SMALL-POX. 95 

that small-pox had been established in their 
respective countries, during a period of three 
thousand years and upwards. 

The unfortunate victim of an attack from 
this pestilential disorder is seen laboring under 
a fever with the most putrid symptoms : he is 
at the same time covered with pustules, which 
not unfrequently run together, and ultimately 
change the whole surface of his body into one 
continued sore, that renders his features undis- 
tinguishable to his dearest friends, and con- 
verts him into an object of disgust to their 
senses. Nor are the immediate sufferings and 
danger of death the only misfortunes attend- 
ant on small-pox ; for, in case the patient 
finally survives the attack, it is often at the 
sacrifice of every thing deemed desirable in 
personal appearance. Beauty may be trans- 
formed into deformity, and, what is of far 
greater importance, by the loss of sight the 
patient may be condemned to pass the re- 
mainder of his life in total darkness. 

I consider it a duty I owe my own feelings, 
as well as an act of justice due to our com- 
mander, the officers, and those gentlemen who 
conducted the medical department, to assert, 
that every precaution within the scope of 
human knowledge was put into full force 



96 DEATH. 

to Stop the farther progress of this woful 
distemper. Those persons who had never 
been afflicted with it, or been vaccinated as 
a preventive, underwent inoculation. There 
was also an appropriate place set apart on 
the gun-deck, screened around, for the re- 
ception of those who were so unfortunate as 
to catch the infection, allowing none of the 
ship's company to have any intercourse what- 
ever \yith those suffering under its baneful 
influence, and every attention which medical 
skill could devise was put into full effect for 
their mutual comfort and benefit. 

The first individual who fell a victim to this 
malignant disorder was a man named Fred- 
erick McQuillon, who lingered but a few days, 
then paying the awful debt of nature, and 
yielding up his soul to his Creator. A short 
time afterwards, the remains of the deceased, 
with every article of bedding, &.c. were com- 
mitted to the bosom of the fathomless deep. 

On the same afternoon, being in a reflecting 
mood, I was ruminating on the uncertainty of 
human life, with the various vicissitudes at- 
tending it — these thoughts arising from the 
death of the above person, who, but a few days 
before, was enjoying the best of health — when 
I was suddenly aroused from my revery, by 



THE SHARK. 97 

an unusual commotion on the forecastle or fore 
part of the spar-deck, and surmising it might 
proceed from some cause which would tend to 
enliven my spirits, J bent my way towards the 
scene from whence the noise proceeded, and 
discovered it originated from some of the men 
having hooked a shark, and then hauling him 
on board, which was soon eifected, though not 
without many struggles on his part to liberate 
himself from their hands. On beholding this 
voracious monster of the deep extended on the 
deck, it forcibly recalled to my mind the lines 
of Byron, who says : 

" Lured by the scent of rank disease and death. 
Behold the direful shark ; who, rushing, 
Cuts the briny flood, swift as the gale can 
Bear the ship along." 

It appeared he had been gamboling about, 
and displaying his sportive tricks on the sur- 
face of his native element for some time, but, 
being enticed by the appearance of a piece of 
pork, with which a hook was well baited, he 
made a sudden spring at the same to satisfy 
the cravings of nature, when, — O w^oful mis- 
hap ! — the concealed and rugged barb of the 
hook stuck fast in his gormandizing throat, to 
punish him for his temerity ; and thus he was 
hauled on board amidst the exclamations of 
9 



98 ANCHOR OFF ANNALLABOO. 

the sailors. After floundering about for some 
time, and trying to break somebody's legs with 
its tail, — a part in which they are extremely 
powerful — an end was put to its existence by 
chopping the same with an axe, — the usual 
method adopted : it was then put into the 
hands of some one who volunteered their ser- 
vices on this particular occasion, and who 
acted in the capacity of cleaner and cook, and, 
when dressed, it was offered up as an uncom- 
mon treat to the masticating organs of those 
who had a relish for such a novel and xery 
epicurean dish. One of the men asking me on 
the following day if 1 had tasted it, on my 
replying in the negative, exclaimed, that I had 
lost a treat, for a slice of shark, well seasoned 
and cooked, would put a veal cutlet to the 
blush, and make a goose, half roasted, jump 
clean off" the spit. I made no reply, but at the 
same time thought to myself of the old adage, 
when a school-boy of " De gustibus non," &c. 
On the 20th inst. having discovered two 
brigs at anchor off Annallaboo, displaying 
English colors, we bore up for them, and 
came to an anchor. A boat being despatched 
to endeavor to obtain any information which 
might further our views, with respect to the 
natives on the coast, the officer in command of 



ARRIVE AT QUALLAH BATTOO. 99 

the boat having executed his commission, re- 
turned to the ship. 

On the following morning we got under way 
again, and proceeded onwards to our destined 
port. Next day, being abreast of Quallah 
Battoo, we stood in for the anchorage. At 
this time, a canoe from the shore came along- 
side, manned by three Malays ; and the con- 
sternation depicted on their countenances can 
be much better imagined than described, when 
they found themselves detained as prisoners, 
pro tempore, and their canoe very politely 
passed astern and made fast. 

We came to an anchor about 3, P, M. but 
no friendly salute was fired as a token of amity 
and good fellowship, as in the ports we had 
been to before. Every duty was performed 
with the most perfect tranquillity, unattended 
with the usual bustle which generally takes 
place on the arrival of a ship in port ; and we 
could not refrain from regarding the place 
with secret detestation, arising from its being 
the receptacle of such unprincipled characters. 
On the following morning, we shifted our 
berth, weighing our anchor, and standing closer 
in shore, where we brought up again : our con- 
sort, the John Adams, following our example, 
brought up as close in shore as she could with 
safety. 



100 THE rajah's conduct. 

At this time, one of the Malay chiefs, named 
Poadam, came on board, with several of his 
tribe, and was received with the utmost urban- 
ity and kindness, as he was generally known 
to be friendly, especially on a former occasion, 
when the United States frigate Potomac was 
laying here, under the command of Com. J. 
Downes, and when the forts were destroyed by 
the crew of that ship. Through the medium 
of his information, we were given to under- 
stand that one of the principal murderers con- 
cerned in the late affair of the ship Eclipse, 
was ashore here and under the immediate pro- 
tection of the rajah of the place. 

A boat w^as immediately despatched away 
with several of our officers, who, as well as 
the boat's crew, were well armed, to have com- 
munication with the rajah on the subject, if 
possible. On the boat nearing the shore, it 
was discovered that the beach was lined with- 
armed men, which naturally led our party to 
believe that the natives were collected at this 
particular spot for the purpose of opposing 
their landing ; but in the course of a short 
time, finding they did not show any direct 
mark of hostility, the party landed without 
any opposition whatever on the part of the 
natives, and immediately proceeded to execute 



THE ENGLISH BRIG. 101 

their commission, the result of which led to a 
promise, on the part of the rajah, that the mur- 
derer should be delivered up on the ensuing 
morning, — a promise which he did not fulfil, 
nor had he any intention of doing so ; for, on a 
second application being made to him, his ex- 
cuses were founded on prevarication, stating 
that the man had escaped, but that a certain 
number of his tribe were on the search for him. 

Finding, by these contradictory statements, 
that he did not wish to come to terms of recon- 
ciliation, or a settlement of the affair in any 
shape whatever no farther communication was 
held upon the subject, as it was thought advisa- 
ble to give them a few iron arguments by way 
of bringing them to reason. 

At this crisis of affairs between us, an Eng- 
lish brig arrived in the offing, and came to an 
anchor. We despatched a boat alongside, and 
politely desired the captain to have no inter- 
course with the shore, making him acquainted 
with the nature of our grievances ; and this 
requisition on our part was strictly complied 
with by him. 

On Christmas day, — a day which recalls to 

mind the origin of the same as having given 

birth to the divine Saviour of mankind, who 

was all peace and love, — on this particular day 

9* 



102 CHRISTMAS DAY. 

we were obliged to act directly opposite by 
commencing hostilities on the natives, by en- 
deavoring to destroy their forts, the destruction 
of which would open their eyes to a sense of 
their error. In the following chapter I have 
given a short account of our proceedings on 
this occasion. 






CHAPTER IX. 

Oiir insulted country bids us join to throw 
Avenging thunders on this our common foe. 
Let anger scorn the rancorous debate, 
The low and little jars of private hate. 
And nobly sacrifice each selfish aim 
On the bright altar of Columbia's fame. 

Author. 

Cannonade Q,uallah Battoo — Come to terms — Wounded 
Malay — Seize several Proas — Account of Sumatra — 
Religion, Customs, &c.— The Cassia Tree — Wild 
Beasts— Leave Gtuallah Battoo — Anchor at Muckie — 
The tug of War — Cannonade Muckie — Land the 
Crew — Destro}^ the Town — The Jack in the Box — 
Lawful plunder — Leave Muckie for Soosoo— A Death 
and Burial. 

The crew were actively employed in prepar- 
ing the ship for action, and their alacrity was 
creditable and praiseworthy in the extreme. 
The starboard broadside of the ship was sprung 
upon the town ; the guns were cast loose, and 
at 3, P. M. we commenced firing upon the 
forts, which were partially obscured by trees ; 
the John Adams, Vv'ho was closer in shore, 
also doing the same. Both ships kept up a 



104 WOUNDED MALAY. 

brisk fire for the space of half an hour, and 
did not cease until two of the forts had been 
destroyed, and several lives lost on their side, 
in addition to the damage done to the houses 
and cattle, which was considerable ; but its 
full extent was not known to us. 

Next morning, a person came on board, 
dressed in the Malayan costume, attended by 
some of his tribe, who, I was afterwards 
informed, claimed kindred with the rajah of 
the place, and who had been deputed by that 
individual to visit us on a special mission to 
the commander, for the purpose of coming to 
terms of reconcihation, which were at length 
adjusted with this place. We had a longer 
reckoning to settle with the town of Muckie, 
the place off which this cruel outrage had been 
committed. The captain of the English brig, 
(then lying in the offing,) also came on board, 
bringing with him one of his crew, (a Malay,) 
who had literally shattered his hands to pieces, 
by the sudden explosion of a gun, while load- 
ing it to fire a feu de joie in honor of Christ- 
mas day. 

The unfortunate man was left on board of 
our ship, after undergoing the painful opera- 
tion of having his right hand amputated, and 
was treated with that humane and Christian 



ACCOUNT OF SUMATRA. 105 

kindness which his unfortunate case so pecu- 
liarly demanded. Several proas were boarded 
occasionally and brought alongside, but after- 
terwards permitted to proceed on their destina- 
tion, after being thoroughly searched to see 
they did not containarms or ammunition. 

The extensive island of Sumatra is the most 
western of the Sunda Islands : its general direc- 
tion is nearly northwest and southeast. It is 
about 900 miles in length, and but from 100 to 
150 in breadth. It is surpassed but by few 
islands in the world for the various gifts of 
nature. A chain of high mountains runs through 
its full extent, the ranges in many parts being 
double and treble. Their altitude, though great, 
is not sufficient to occasion their being covered 
with snow during any part of the year. Be- 
tween these ridges are extensive plains, con- 
siderably elevated above the surface of the 
maritime lands : in these the air is cool, and 
from this advantage they are deemed the most 
eligible part of the country, are best inhabited, 
and the most cleared from woods, which, in 
general, throughout Sumatra, cover both hills 
and valleys with an eternal shade. 

Here, too, are found many large and beauti- 
ful lakes, which facilitate much the communi- 
cation between the different parts. Rain is 



106 ACCOUNT OF SUMATRA. 

very frequent here, sometimes very heavy, and 
almost always attended with thunder and light- 
ning. Earthquakes are not uncommon, and 
there are several volcanoes on the island. The 
interior parts are governed by pagan princes ; 
and the natural products of Sumatra are pretty 
much the same as those of the adjacent islands. 
The people who inhabit the coast are Malays, 
and are divided into various tribes, the princi- 
pal of which is termed the rejangs; they are 
below the middle stature, their bulk in propor- 
tion, their limbs for the most part slight but 
well-shaped, and particularly small at the 
wrists and ankles, and upon the whole grace- 
fully formed. The interior parts are inhabited 
by a very different people : their language and 
character differ much from the Malays, the 
latter using the Arabic character. They have 
no king, but live in villages independently gov- 
erned by a chief, and generally at variance 
with each other. 

They fortify their villages very strongly with 
double fences, of camphor plank, pointed, and 
placed with their points projecting outwards, 
which are concealed by the grass, but which 
will run quite through a man's foot. It is in 
this country that most of the cassia sent to 
Europe is produced. The cassia tree grows 



LEAVE QUALLAH BATTOO. 107 

to fifty or sixty feet in height, with a stem 
about two feet in diameter, and a beautiful and 
regular spreading head. Its chief trade with 
other nations is pepper, which grows here in 
great abundance. 

The wild beasts of the country are various, 
consisting principally of tigers, elephants, rhi- 
noceroses, bears, and monkeys. The tigers 
prove to the inhabitants, both in journeys, and 
even in their domestic occupations, most de- 
structive enemies. The size and strength of 
the species which prevail in this island is pro- 
digious : they are said to break, with a stroke 
of their fore paw, the leg of a horse or buffalo, 
and the largest prey they kill is without diffi- 
culty easily swallowed by them. 

On the 28th inst. we left Quallah Battoo, 
with our consort, the John Adams, and pro- 
ceeded towards Muckie, off which place we 
anchored on the following morning. As we 
were on the point of coming to an anchor, we 
discovered a sail, and on sending a boat along- 
side, it was found to be a French bark, bound 
to Penang. We also displayed our colors to a 
strange brig which got under way from Muckie, 
and stood along the coast. 

On the 30th, we hove up the anchor for 
the purpose of standing closer in shore, and 
then brought up again. 



108 CANNONADE MUCKIE. 

At 10, A. M. on the first of January, 1$39, 
we commenced the new year, and hostiUties on 
the desperate inhabitants of this place. The 
starboard broadside of the ship was sprung 
upon the town, and shortly afterward music, to 
coincide with our resentment, sounded on our 
ears the usual notes played for quarters. 

The men instinctively rushed to their guns, 
which were instantly cast loose, and every 
necessary preparation was made for action. 

We began to fire upon the town and forts, 
and kept up a continual, brisk, and well-di- 
rected fire on the same, of round shot and 
stands of grape. At meridian came the tug of 
war : our men, to the number of 350, includ- 
ing the marines, all well armed with various 
weapons, ofi'ensive and defensive, left the ship 
for the shore, by the boats, in the following 
order, under the command of the ofiicers of 
the respective divisions : Launch, 1st division; 
first cutter and curricle, 2d division ; barge and 
fourth cutter, 3d division ; second and third 
cutters, 4th division. 

Each boat was provided with kedges and 
grapnels, also moorings, to anchor at a con- 
venient distance from the shore, and the crews 
of each boat were also armed with the means 
of defence : each boat also had on board two 



commodore's directions. 109 

petty officers to assist in landing and taking on 
board the expedition. 

Previous to the boats shoving off from the 
ship, our commodore addressed the crew, and, 
in words which do him the highest honor, told 
them to allow their feelings to be biased by- 
mercy and humanity, and, above all, to take 
particular care not to injure any woman or 
child in any shape whatever. It reminded me 
forcibly of Shakspeare's words, as far as re- 
garded myself: 

What a man dare do, 
I dare; 

He who dares do more, 
Is not a man : 

for, though bearing the form and appearance of 
a man, he v/ho would injure a helpless wo- 
man, or innocent offspring, for the sake of 
gratifying his resentful feelings, would be un- 
worthy of the name of one of the lords of the 
creation, and should be used, in the words of 
the song, which says, — 

Is there a heart that never loved, 

Or felt soft woman's sigh ? 
Is there a heart can mark, mimoved. 

Dear woman's tearful eye ? 

O, bear him hence to some solitary cell, 
Or to some distant shore, 
10 



110 LANDING OF THE CREW. 

Where love was never known to dwell, 
And nought but savage monsters roar. 

The commodore having wished us success to 
our enterprise, the boats pulled for the shore 
with animation, covered by a slow and well-di- 
rected fire from the starboard batteries of both 
ships, until the boats had reached the shore, 
and their respective crews landed ; from that 
time firing only at intervals. 

On landing the men, the boats were moored 
at a convenient distance from the shore, and 
kept close together for self-preservation. Our 
landing was effected without any opposition on 
the part of the natives, who had absconded and 
taken to their recesses for their own preserva- 
tion, after removing their valuables and other 
effects. 

We were at this time joined by the greater 
part of the crew belonging to the John Ad- 
ams, under the command of Captain Thomas 
Wyman, upon whom the command of the ex- 
pedition devolved. The Adams's crew were 
easily distinguished from the Columbia's, by 
their ornamental head-dress, (as a lady would 
say,) consisting of a large pasteboard or stiff 
canvass cap, something in the shape of a gren- 
adier's, with the name of their ship in full, giv- 



DESTROY THE TOWN. Ill 

ing them a most formidable appearance, and 
which they themselves had rigged for this es- 
pecial occasion. However, to proceed with 
my story, we did not remain long in a state of 
inactivity, but marched into the town, and 
commenced setting fire to the same, which was 
speedily in one general conflagration. At the 
same time the forts were leveled with the 
ground, the guns spiked, and every thing de- 
stroyed which was deemed of value to the na- 
tives. 

We met with no obstacle, whatever, to im- 
pede us in the work of destruction, which was 
carried on to its fullest extent ; the town being 
burnt to the ground, leaving nought but a mass 
of ruins. 

On reviewing the scene before me, I could 
but surmise that this act of vengeance on our 
part would remind the natives of that retalia- 
tion which ever would be taken upon them by 
all civilized nations, as long as they obstinately 
persisted in committing such piratical prac- 
tices ; a sinful propensity which they have jdos- 
sessed from the earliest periods. 

In the course of our proceedings we took 
two of the natives prisoners, one of whom was 
captured in a manner that excited the risible 
muscles of the captors. While busily occq- 



113 THE JACK IN THE BOX. 

pied in destroying various articles in one of 
the houses, their attention was attracted by 
a large chest standing in a corner. All eyes 
were immediately bent upon this object, and 
no doubt there were some who fancied it might 
contain some valuables which would enrich 
them for life. To put the matter beyond a 
doubt, up went the powerful and brawny arm 
of one of the pioneers, with a sledge hammer. 
Down fell the same weighty concern on the lid 
of the chest, which was stove to pieces, when, 
wonderful, most ^vonderful to relate, out pop- 
ped, not, my readers, Plutus, the god of riches, 
as had been imagined, but the dark, dismal, 
and affrighted countenance of a poor devil of a 
Malay, who exclaimed, in broken English, 
*' My God, massa." One of the marines, who 
was foremost on the occasion, (I suppose wish- 
ing to have the first finger in the pie,) started 
back, most egregiously disappointed in his 
great expectations, exclaiming, '* My eyes, vot 
a d — ble ill-looking Jack in the box." How- 
ever, the poor fellow was taken prisoner, and 
sent on board with another, his brother in mis- 
fortune, but afterwards humanely liberated. 

Another incident which tended much to 
amuse me, was the dry and laconic answer of 
one of the second division to his ofiicer on the 



LAWFUL PLUNDER. 113 

subject of poaching, and which arose as fol- 
lows. The man had strayed from his di- 
vision, and was then on his return, with a 
young calf under his arm, bleating, as they 
journeyed on together ; which prize Tom said 
he considered as lawful plunder, and intended 
to give his messmates a regular tuck-out on 
the ensuing day from the carcass of his pris- 
oner. 

At this time Tom was perceived by his offi- 
cer, who, in an authoritative tone of voice, de- 
manded of him what he was doing out of his 
ranks. Tom, either not wishing or not willing 
to understand his superior, exclaims, " Lawful 
plunder, sir." " Baa ! " cries the calf. " Great 
poachers in my nativ-e place, sir," once more 
says Tom. " Baa ! " reiterates the calf. By 
this time the officer came up to him, and could 
but smile at the dry replies of Tom to his or- 
ders, saying, " So they are great poachers in 
your town, are they ? " " Lord bless you, sir, 
yes ; ray father thought no more of snaring a 
hare, or shooting and bagging a pheasant upon 
another gentleman's manor, than I do — being 
a chip of the old block — in knocking down any 
running game ;" at the same time putting the 
calf out of his arms, which run off. Tom lost 
the subftance for the shadow, leveling his mus- 
10* 



114 A MALAY BURNT. 

ket and firing at a poor, affrighted sheep, 
which, however, got off scot free. " That will 
do," exclaims the officer, laughing heartily; " I 
am perfectly satisfied with your poaching tac- 
tics. Fall into your division." '* Stop, if you 
please, sir, till I regain my calf;" at the same 
time starting after the runaway animal. T 
turned away, pleasantly thinking to myself 
which was the biggest calf of the two. 

I now proceed to relate a scene of a more 
melancholy description, which was occasioned 
by a Malay being burnt to death in the general 
flames. On being discovered by some of our 
party, he would not leave the house, which was 
then burning over his head, either by force or 
entreaty. What his motives were for this act 
of self-destruction, I cannot judge; but can on- 
ly surmise it either proceeded from a fear of 
falling into our hands, or sprung from a nobler 
principle, not to leave the scenes of his earlier 
years, but rather perish in the general wreck. 
If the former, the poor unfortunate was under 
very mistaken notions, as he would have been 
treated with that kind commiseration which 
ever actuates the brave towards an unfortunate. 
If the latter was his idea, his heroism and self- 
devotion can but be applauded by the truly 



soosoo. 115 

brave, however the result may be regretted by 
the humane. 

Having completed our work of destruction, 
the damage done being estimated at $180,000, 
we hoisted our flag in a conspicuous situation 
on the beach, to notify to the ship that we had 
succeeded in our object, as far as retaliation 
was concerned ; and at 3, P. M. we once more 
embarked in our boats for the ship, in the same 
uniform order as we had landed, and went on 
board, highly exhilarated in spirits, to think we 
had taken some satisfaction on this desperate 
horde, however inadequate it might be to the 
injury sustained, as far as national feeling was 
concerned ; and at the same time letting the 
Malays know that a civilized nation was not to 
be insulted with impunity. 

We left this scene of our resentment on the 
3d inst. and proceeded to Soosoo, for the pur- 
pose of watering the ships, this place heing 
most convenient for that purpose, as the rivers 
run close to the sea-coast. We came to an an- 
chor on the same evening, and, during the few 
days we remained here, our boats were on the 
alert to fill water, escorted by a party of the 
marine guard, for the safeguard and protection 
of them and their crews, who were also well 
armed ; but there was no molestation what- 



116 DEATH AND BURIAL. 

ever on the part of the natives, who were more 
friendly than otherwise. 

On the 5th inst. we lost another of our crew, 
named Nathaniel Tidd, by the small-pox. In 
the evening a boat was manned, and his earthly 
remains were conveyed to the offing, attended 
by the chaplain, and launched into the silent 
deep, with the accustomed form of prayers 
being read over them. This act of melancholy 
friendship being performed, the boat returned 
to the ship. 



CHAPTER X. 

Honor pricks me on. Yea, but if honor pricks me off, when I 
come on ; how tlien ? Can honor set a leg ? No. Or an arm ? No. 
Or take away the grief of a wound ? No. Honor hath no skill in 
surgery, then ? No. What is honor ? A word. Honor is a mere 
scutcheon j and so ends my catechism. — Falstaff^s Soliloquy. 

Shakspeare. 

Soliloquy on Honor — Seize a Proa — Description of— 
Death — Comments — Leave Soosoo — Poadam — Situa- 
tion and Character — Another Death — Penang — Arrive 
at — Account of— Wounded Moor — Sailor's Liberality 
— Malacca — Account of— Singapore — Establish a Hos- 
pital — Description of Singapore — Chinese Junks, &c. 

On the following day a boat was manned up- 
on a very different occasion, and the crew of 
the same well armed, to attack and board a 
large proa, which was observed to be standing 
in. All hands in the boat were glad of this op- 
portunity afforded them, and their hearts were 
expanded with joyous expectation, flattering 
themselves it might be a prize worth capture ; 
if not, they were in hopes of some show of re- 
sistance being made, as they had not forgotten 
the old grudge, and were quite tired with mak- 



118 SEIZE A PROA. 

ing war in semblance ; wishing to have nothing 
but the true thing itself, as the cowardly Ma- 
lays had not as yet given them a chance of ob- 
taining so much as an honorable scratch to 
show on their return home. 

Our boat skimmed along the surface of the 
water, and was soon alongside of the enemy, 
pouncing upon her like an eagle on its prey ; 
but alas ! all hopes of a valuable prize were 
soon at an end ; for, on boarding her, nothing 
\vas found on board but the crew and cargo, 
which consisted of live stock, that is to say, a 
few women and children, who it appeared 
were slaves. In the refined ideas of the plant- 
ers of the torrid zone, slaves are always con- 
sidered as live stock. Such is the way of the 
world. 

The aforesaid boat was brought alongside, 
but afterwards allowed to proceed on her des- 
tination* In noticing the capture of this proa, 
I am led to imagine that, had she been de- 
tained as a lawful prize, and a division made 
of the property seized, it would have been the 
cause of some confusion, especially as far as 
the cargo was concerned. The wishes of most 
would have led them to obtain the softer sex for 
their share of the prize, in preference to fa- 
thering the children, who were their lineal de- 



DESCRIPTION OF A PROA. 119 

scendants. However open-hearted a sailor may- 
be, as regards a friend or brother shipmate in 
distress, he notwithstanding possesses the more 
refined feelings of a man ; and it must be pro- 
verbially known, that there is a general desire 
to father our own children in preference to that 
of a stranger. 

The construction of these proas is very dif- 
ferent from our style of boat building; for the 
rest of the world make the heads of their ves- 
sels different from the stern, and the two sides 
alike ; but the proa, on the contrary, has her 
head and stern exactly alike, and her two sides 
very different. The side always intended to be 
the lee side, being flat, and the windward side 
made rounding, in the same manner as other 
vessels ; and to prevent her oversetting, which, 
from her small breadth and the straight run of 
her lee side, would without this precaution in- 
fallibly happen, there is a frame laid out from 
her to windward, to the end of which is fasten- 
ed a log, fashioned into the shape of a small 
boat, and made hollow. The weight of this 
frame is intended to balance the proa, and the 
small boat, by its buoyancy, being always in 
the water, prevents her oversetting to wind- 
ward. This frame is usually called an out- 
rigger. One of these proas generally carry 



120 DEATH — LEAVE SOOSOO. 

six or seven persons, two of which are placed 
in the head and stern, who steer the vessel, al- 
ternately, with a paddle, according to the tack 
she goes on, he in the stern being the steers- 
man. The others are employed either in bail- 
ing out the water which she accidently ships, or 
in setting and trimming the sail. 

These proas, by sailing most excellently on 
a wind, and with either end foremost, can run 
from one island to another by merely shifting 
the sails, which are generally made of a kind 
of matting, without ever putting about ; and by 
the flatness of their lee side and their small 
breadth, they are capable of lying much nearer 
the wind than any other vessel hitherto known. 

On the ensuing day from this incident taking 
place, the American ship Sumatra arrived from 
Manilla, and came to an anchor, proceeding 
homewards on the following day, carrying let- 
ters from our ship to the general part of the 
relatives and friends of our crew. 

On the 6th we committed the remains of an- 
other of the crew to the deep, named Hiram 
Lovrein, making the third and last victim to 
that dreadful disorder, the small-pox ; as from 
this period those afflicted shortly recovered 
from its baneful effects. 

On the same day we left Soosoo, with our 



PUNISHMENT. 121 

consort, the John Adams, for Prince of Wales 
Island. As soon as we had got some distance 
from the land, Poadara, the Malay chief, who 
had been our visiter from the time of our arri^ 
val, left us. He regretted much our departure, 
as he had during this interval considered the 
ship as his home and protection from the invet- 
erate animosities of the neiohborinsf chiefs^ 
His life on shore was one continued scene of 
inquietude, arising from his possessing those 
principles which did him honor, and because 
he would not in any manner connive with them 
in their rapacious acts of phmder and cruelty. 

They had made several attempts to destroy 
him, but were always frustrated in their mur- 
derous design by the interposition of Divine 
Providence. He had given his enemies fre- 
quent proofs of his manly courage and prowess 
when thus assailed. His followers were ex- 
tremely partial to him, always adhering to his 
fortunes and interests, with a fidelity which 
would put many a servile courtier to the blush. 

On the 19th inst. at 10, A. M. all hands 
were called to "witness punishment," and 
Benjamin Bray received twenty-four lashes, 
with the cats, without being tried by a court- 
martial. According to the articles of war, 
which are generally read once a month, the 
11 



122 STRENGTH OF CURRENT DEATH. 

commodore exceeded the bounds of his author- 
ity, as those articles expressly state that no 
commander, in punishing a man, shall inflict 
more than twelve lashes, unless he has been 
previously tried and found guilty by a court- 
martial. 

During this passage, but more especially on 
wearing Prince of Wales Island, we were 
obliged frequently to bring up with the stream 
anchor, in consequence of the strength of the 
currents and our proximity to the various isl- 
ands with which these parts abound. 

On the 22d, a youth named William Lyons, 
departed this life, of a brain fever, and his re- 
mains were committed to the deep, with the 
usivdl ceremonies. In noticing the death of 
this unfortunate and ill-treated young man, 
I am absolutely compelled to comment upon 
the had usage he received from the officers, as 
a debt of justice I owe his memory. He was a 
native of Cape Cod, about nineteen years of 
age, and was whipped nearly every day, from 
Norfolk to Penang, by one or other of the offi- 
cers, which was nearly the term of nine months, 
within a few days. He departed this life a day 
or two before the arrival of the ship at the lat- 
ter place. At six o'clock on the morning of 
liis decease, he received a dozen with the colt ; 



PENANG. 123 

at eight, another dozen ; at ten, another ; and 
towards the afternoon, another. He was in 
perfect health in the morning. At two o'clock, 
P. M. he was taken sick ; at four he died ; and 
at six he was buried. On his death cot he was 
delirious, exclaiming, " Spare me, O spare 
me ! " and counting to himself, " One — two — 
three," as though he was reckoning lashes 
upon his back ; and bj such language too 
plainly expressing what was passing in his 
mind. This is only one instance of the cruel 
oppression practised over the crew by the offi- 
cers, but an instance which ought to cry down 
shame upon their heads, and which ought to be 
the means of depriving them of their epaulets, 
which such conduct has rendered them un- 
worthy to wear, and they could, without doubt, 
be bestowed on men possessing better princi- 
ples. 

On the 25th we came to anchor off Penang, 
the principal town and harbor of Prince of 
Wales Island, Point Cornwallis bearing S. E. 
half S. and Old Queeda N. by E. 

This island is under the British flag, and is 
situated in latitude 0° 36' south, and longitude 
105° 17' east. Penang, the town off which we 
anchored, is situated in a complete grove, con- 
sisting principally of cocoa-nut trees. The 



124 BENEVOLENCE. 

buildings are thin, but strongly built, consisting 
of bamboo ; but those inhabited by Europeans 
are modeled and erected according to the 
European fashion. It contains a splendid ba- 
zar, in which are to be found the products 
of both hemispheres. Its inhabitants consist 
of a complete mixture of various nations, from 
the turbaned Turk to the piratical Malay. It 
has a good anchorage, and is a general ren- 
dezvous for men of war and other shipping in 
the East India trade. 

On the earliest opportunity a boat was de- 
spatched on shore, for the purpose of landing 
the unfortunate Moor, who had lost his hand 
and come round with us from Soosoo. Pre- 
vious to his departure, the greater part of our 
crew, who are never backward in the cause of 
humanity, voluntarily subscribed the sum of 
one hundred and fifty dollars for his benefit, 
for which act of kindness he appeared ex- 
tremely grateful. Well he might. 

We received a pilot on board on the follow- 
ing morning, to conduct the ship to Singapore, 
our next destined port ; and, shortly after his 
appearance, we got under way, with the John 
Adams, for that port. During this passage we 
were obliged to bring up nightly with the stream 
anchor, pursuing our course at every possible 
opportunity. 



MALACCA. 125 

On the 1st of February we were close in 
with the town of Malacca, which is a seaport, 
and the capital of the peninsula. It is in 
2° 30' north, and 150^^ east. This town is ex- 
cellent for trade with India, and when it was 
first discovered by the Portuguese, who were 
afterwards expelled by the Dutch, Malacca 
was the richest city in the East, next to Goa 
and Ormuz, being the key of the China, the 
Japan, the Moluccas, and the Sanda trades. 
The country is now, however, chiefly valuable 
for its trade with the Chinese. The inhabitants 
in the interior parts differ little from brutes in 
their manner of living, and yet the Malayan 
language is reckoned the purest of any spoken 
in the Indies. Its principal produce is tin, pep- 
per, elephant's teeth, canes, and gums. The 
degeneracy of the Malayans, who were for- 
merly an industrious, ingenious people, is 
easily accounted for by the tyranny of the 
Dutch, whose interest it was that they should 
remain in a state of ignorance and slavery. 
Malacca was taken from the Dutch by the 
English, in August, 1796, before which time 
the latter used to carry on a smuggling trade, 
in their country ships, from the coast of Coro- 
mandel and Bay of Bengal. 

On the 2d February the inland about Sin- 
11* 



126 SINGAPORE DYSENTERY. 

gapore was in sight, and on the same even- 
ing we came to an anchor in a small cove, not 
being able to fetch the proper anchorage, in 
consequence of a strong adverse wind. On the 
following morning, at daylight, we hove up the 
anchor and beat the ship in, coming to an 
anchor in Singapore Roads, after a passage of 
twenty days from Soosoo, The town was sa- 
luted according to custom, the same being 
returned by the forts ashore. 

A considerable number of our men were at 
this particular time afflicted with sickness, 
arising from the dysentery ; two dying with 
that disorder the day after our arrival. Their 
remains were interred on shore, in the naval 
manner. This sickness was found to be the 
prevailing disorder of the climate, and in- 
creased to so alarming a degree that it was 
deemed advisable to send the sick on shore, as 
more conducive to their ultimate recovery. 
The patients were consequently removed from 
the ship until they were reinstated in health. 
A most convenient house was engaged for their 
reception, to answer the purpose of a hospital, 
under the superintendence of the doctor and 
assistants, with every necessary appendage 
which might in any manner tend to their com- 
fort or benefit. 



CHINESE JUNKS. 127 

Our consort, the John Adams, from whom 
we had parted company a few days previously, 
arrived on the 7th inst. and came to anchor. 
This day we were visited by the commander- 
in-chief of the English forces at Singapore, 
which in this place consist entirely of natives, 
the officers only being Europeans. 

Singapore is one of the British settlements 
in India, and has a fine, capacious harbor, 
which is constantly full of shipping, arising 
from its lying in the track of the China trade. 
It lies in 1° 17' 22" north latitude, and 103° 51' 
45" east longitude. The town is built upon 
a river at the south side of the island. The 
town and harbor are defended by a strong fort, 
well garrisoned, and standing in a beautiful sit- 
uation. The air of this island is deliciously 
balmy; health and beauty here revel together; 
nature is ever dressed in never-fading charms, 
and her sunny smiles are ever reflected from 
the human countenance. The town is about a 
mile and a half in length and one in breadth ; 
the streets are regular, and are built after the 
English style, with beautiful sidewalks. 

In addition to the variety of shipping in the 
harbor, I especially noticed the curious form 
and build of the Chinese junks ; and as an op- 
portunity was afforded of going on board of 



128 CHINESE JUNKS. 

one, my curiosity, wliicli had been much ex- 
cited, was satisfied. I here subjoin an account 
of the same for the amusement or information 
of my readers. 

Of the many variously shaped vessels in 
which men peril their lives and fortunes on 
the boisterous main, these junks are the most 
remarkable, as well as the most frail. They 
nevertheless make long voyages in their com- 
mercial intercourse with the Philippines, Mo- 
luccas, and other islands of the Indian Archi- 
pelago, also to Java, the Malay peninsula, and 
the coast of Siam and Cochin China. In 
crossing the Chinese seas, they always take 
advantage of the monsoons, as, from their bulk 
and light draught of water, they are but ill 
calculated to make way against the wind ; but 
these operate in assisting their velocity witJi 
favorable winds, and, owing probably to their 
buoyancy, it seldom occurs that any founder. 

To the eye they present a large, unsightly 
mass, bearing, however, a striking resemblance 
to those of England two centuries ago, with a 
great sheer hulk, not unlike a half moon. 

They are mostly three hundred or four hun- 
dred tons burthen, and sometimes as much as 
eight hundred. Their rigging is of the sim- 
plest kind, consisting of two or three large 



CHINESE JUNKS. 129 

masts, composed of a single piece of timber, 
much stouter in proportion than European 
masts, on which traverse large square sails, 
which are increased, according to the size of 
the vessel, but in number never exceeding three. 
These sails are of a reed or straw matting, 
with stout bamboos at intervals of two to two 
and a half feet, extending horizontally ; along 
the surface and to either extremity of these 
bamboos are attached small lines, for the pur- 
pose of adjusting the sails to the wind. When 
it is desired to reduce or reef the sails, they are 
rolled up from the bottom by as many of these 
spaces as are thought necessary. 

The anchors are of the rudest construction ; 
the material is always of wood, weighted with 
immense stones lashed to them, and unprovided 
with a stock across, to ensure its falling to the 
ground in a right direction. 

Among other peculiarities is the custom of 
painting a large eye on each side of the bow ; 
the Chinese very pertinently asking, *' How 
can ship see, suppose he hab no eye ? " 

The rudder projects from the stern similar 
to that of a London barge, and is generally 
perforated with holes, or built of lattice work, 
and is guided by ropes, passing from it along- 
side the vessel. 



130 CHINESE JUNKS. 

Their compass is shut up in a small bowl, 
with a quantity of perfumed matclies stuck in 
sand, and which are lit on an offering being 
made to their deitj. The cabin is very small, 
and around it are the berths of the crew, just 
large enough to contain their persons. Each 
berth has a mat, and a hard stuffed cushion for 
a pillow. 



CHAPTER XI. 

And O, the little warlike world within — 
The well-reeved guns, the netted canopy — 
The hoarse command, the busy humming din, 
When at a %vord — the yards are manned on high. 

BVRON. 

Washington's Birth-Day — Missionaries — Divine Worship 
at Sea — More Deaths — On the Existence of a God — 
Proofs of the same — A Dying Scene — Chinese Admi- 
ral's Visit— In a Scrape myself — The Ball — Leave 
Singapore — More Deaths — Arrival at Macao — Intelli- 
gence—Stop put to Trade by the Chinese. 

On the 22d February, — a day never to be 
erased from the memories of the sons of Amer- 
ica, being the anniversary of the birth-day of 
Gen. George Washington, — on this day the 
yards were manned, colors displayed, and a 
salute iired, to commemorate the day of his 
nativity. A celebrated writer justly observes, 
that history and tradition are explored in vain 
for a parallel to his character : he was the 
founder of liberty, and the friend of man. 

On the following Sunday, though it rained 
in torrents, it did not damp the Christian ardor 



132 DIVINE SERVICE AT SEA. 

of two American missionaries, who are sta- 
tioned at Singapore, and who came on board 
to perform divine service. One of them read 
the usual form of prayer, at the conclusion of 
which the other reverend gentleman delivered 
an elaborate and most impressive discourse. 
It was pleasurable to the feelings of all to hear 
his various comments, and to think that Chris- 
tianity and a knowledge of the holy gospel 
were finding their way to the very confines of 
the earth. On inserting this incident, it re- 
minds me of having omitted, in my previous 
observations, to mention the impression made 
on my mind by the performance of divine 
worship on board of a vessel of war. On 
Sunday mornings, immediately after quarters, 
should the weather permit, all hands are called 
to muster. The summons is instantly obeyed, 
by every one proceeding to the quarter-deck, 
(the sick alone exempted,) where the minister 
stands in readiness, arrayed in his clerical 
robes, and the capstern covered with the na- 
tional flag, to answer the purpose of a pulpit. 
The commodore takes his station on the weather 
side of the chaplain ; the lieutenants, and all 
other commissioned and warrant officers on 
the weather side of the deck ; the forward offi- 
cers at the fife-rail, and petty officers at the 



MORE DEATHS. 133 

fore part of the main-mast. The blue-jackets 
take up their position abaft the mizzen-mast, 
clad in white frocks, with blue collars, white 
trowsers, and straw hats, looking the picture of 
cleanliness ; whilst the marines are stationed 
and drawn up in rank, on the lee side of the 
deck, headed by their commanding officer, all 
in full uniform. The whole e.n masse forms a 
very picturesque group. After the usual rou- 
tine of divine service has been performed, every 
monthly Sunday the articles of war are read, 
giving the information, that whoever infringes 
the rules and discipline of the service, by neg- 
lect of duty or other misdemeanors, shall be 
punished according to the regulations of the 
service therein specified ; that is to say, death, 
or worse punishment, as the sailor says. By 
worse punishment, he alludes to his grog being 
stopped, which article constitutes his principal 
creed. 

In addition to the two men who died the 
day after our arrival, I have the painful task to 
note the demise of four more, who were called 
away by the stern messenger of death, to their 
long, last home, with the same disorder, — the 
dysentery. In noticing this unfortunate inci- 
dent, I am led to comment on the death of one 
of the above, named Gefofge Walton 5 and with 
12 



134 EXISTENCE OF A GOD. 

all respect for the memory of the departed, I 
have to assure my readers that calumny is a 
principle I do not possess ; but I am actually 
led into the following observations, from the 
idea of benefiting those of my readers, if any, 
who may be living under such blind and igno- 
rant habits. 

I have to observe that he was an elderly 
man, and bis death gave me much scope for 
reflection, arising from the assertions 1 have 
heard him make while alive. It was ever pain-- 
ful to my feelings to hear him, in general con- 
versation with his shipmates, firmly acknowl- 
edge that he did not believe in the existence of 
a divine Creator, or an hereafter. To all 
brought up in the tenets of our holy religion, 
such an assertion of itself was enough to inspire 
them with horror as well as commiseration for 
the miserable being who could be so blind 
to his eternal welfare, as to avow such an 
opinion. Not a single moment of our lives 
transpires, but forcibly shows forth, by some 
incident or other, however trifling, the exist- 
ence of a divine power. 

Cast but your eyes upwards for a moment, 
and view the wondrous canopy of heaven, with 
its innumerable stars ; again downwards, on 
the expansive waters, with its finnv inhabitants^ 



EXISTENCE OF A GOD. 135 

by which the earth is surrounded. Look to 
that earth itself, with its various productions for 
the benefit of the human race ; also to the an- 
imal creation and the feathered inhabitants of 
the air; and last, though not least, examine 
yourself, as one of the most wondrous works of 
Ms hand, Vvho has modeled and formed you as 
one of the lords of creation, has ennobled 
you with a soul, and endowed you with e\eTj 
faculty to fit you for free agency. 

If these plain, existing proofs are not of 
themselves sufficient to prove the supremacy 
of a divine God, I could enumerate a thousand 
others to prove the validity of my argument. 
Could poor, sinful mortals make the most com- 
mon thing in existence, without the materials 
■were first provided for them, through the gen- 
erous influence of an all-wise Providence 1 It 
is true man may manufacture, and improve 
upon the materials given, but he cannot make 
even a grain of common sand. 

It affords me much pleasure to observe that, 
previously to Walton's quitting the ship for the 
hospital, where he died, he retracted all his 
former erroneous opinions. He called me one 
day to the side of the cot in vv'hich he was lay- 
ing, with the tear of contrition standing in his 
eye, and his voice completely choked with his 



136 VISIT OF CHINESE ADMIRAL. 

emotions. Extending to me his hand, with- 
ered by sickness, he acknowledged the sinful 
errors he had put belief in, at the same time 
telling me he was thoroughly convinced there 
was a God, as well as a Redeemer in his divine 
Son. 

On this acknowledgment, which imparted 
the most genuine pleasure to my feelings, I 
implored him to offer up his prayers of peni- 
tence to his God, through the merits of his Sav- 
iour, as it was through his divine mediation 
alone that w^e were pardoned for all our sins, 
and cleansed from all unrighteousness. This 
was the last interview I had with him, as on 
the following day he was removed on shore to 
the hospital, where he died ; and though not 
with or near him at the time of his demise, I 
was afterwards informed that he died as a true 
penitent, the name of his Saviour clinging to 
his lips with his parting breath. 

On the 13th inst. we were visited by the Co- 
chin Chinese admiral and suite, whose man 
of war junks were laying in the roads, who 
came on board dressed in the costume of their 
country. After being shown through the ship, 
they took their departure, and were saluted ac- 
cording to custom. 

This day will be remembered by me as long 



IN A SCRAPE BIYSELF. 137 

as recollection exists, as one in which I was 
obliged to undergo an act of the most capri- 
cious, revengeful, and oppressive tyranny from 
an officer who could satisfy his resentment in no 
other manner than by taking advantage of the 
power and authority which his commission as 
a lieutenant placed in his hands, and which 
transpired as follows : A few days previous to 
this transaction, Mr. Edward Goale, one of the 
assistant surgeons came to me and asked me if 
I would be kind enou2;h to take charge of the 
sick bay for a few days, until the return of the 
hospital steward from the shore, who was at- 
tending his duties there in the hospital which 
had been established. Wishing to oblige Dr. 
Coale, for whom at that ti?ne I had a particular 
regard, I acceded to Iiis request, and rendered 
him all the assistance in my pov.er. On this 
day I was coming up the after ladder with an 
inkstand in my hand, which Dr. Coale, then 
on the gun-deck, had required of me. A col- 
ored man, named Lloyd, ascending the ladder 
before me, by accident kicked the inkstand out 
of my hand, and a few drops of its contents 
sprinkled the steps of the ladder. This inci- 
dent w^as perceived by the master's mate of the 
berth-deck, named Donaldson, one of the most 
complete fools for an officer that ever was suf- 
12- 



138 IN A SCRAPE MYSELF. 

fered to breathe, and vvliich would be proved by 
the ship's company at large. This nondescript 
immediately reported me to the officer of the 
deck, who happened to be my very good friend, 
Mr. Turk, (most properly named,) whose eyes 
gleamed with revengeful satisfaction and de- 
light at beholding me, the object of his most 
capricious revenge. To speak in my own de- 
fence were needless ; he would not hear a sin- 
gle word in justification ; called a boatswain's 
mate and desired him to lay on to me with all 
his strength, who did not forget the injunction 
received. At this time I happened to have on 
a thin cotton frock, and every lash, to the num- 
ber of twelve, fetched a piece of flesh from my 
back, leaving scars which I can show to the 
present day. 

I here wish to observe that Mr. Turk had 
bestowed a dozen lashes on me the day pre- 
vious to this, for not having a piece of my 
wearing apparel marked. It had been marked, 
but the same was erased from the constant 
washing. On receiving this second castigation 
at his hands, my back was covered with plas- 
ters, which I was obliged to place on, from the 
wales I received. When Mr. Turk saw this, 
on repeating his tyranny the next day over 
me, he made use of the most merciful expres- 



THE BALL. 139 

sion, becoming the lips of an oflScer and a gen- 
tleman : " You son of a b , I only wish I 

could cause plasters to be put on your back 
^very day." 

I would willingly wish to do this officer all 
possible justice ; therefore I must say he is as 
smart an officer, as far as regards the duties of 
a ship, as he is in tyrannizing and oppressing 
those under his command, when he has the 
power. 

On the following day our crew were actively 
employed from the earlier part of the day in 
fitting up and dressing the ship, for the pur- 
pose of holding a ball on board. The colors 
of different nations were tastefully arranged in 
gay festoons; those of America and England 
being placed in the most conspicuous situation 
in the centre. A kind of chandelier was ar- 
ranged, formed of round hoops, covered with 
different colored bunting, and bayonets fastened 
to the same, pointed downwards, so that the 
upper parts of them were made to receive the 
candles, in the form of a candlestick. Every 
fanciful ornament that could possibly be mus- 
tered was put in requisition to give a coloring 
to the scene, which was picturesque in the ex- 
treme, more especially when lighted up on the 
quarter-deck, for the purpose of accommodat-^ 



140 THE BALL. 

ing those of our visiters who felt inclined to 
amuse themselves on the light, fantastic toe. 

The company arrived in the ship's boats at 
1, P. M. the same having been despatched on 
shore for ihem. Amongst them was the Eng- 
lish attorney-general and the principal inhabit- 
ants of Singapore. A salute was fired on their 
arrival, and at night commenced the dance. I 
was highly amused by the novelty of the scene 
before me. The greater part of the visiters 
were beautiful in form, and graceful in every 
motion, stepping out gayly, with the utmost 
spirit and freedom of movement ; while several 
of the men, determined to have some share in 
the scene before them, were also kicking up 
their heels forward, to the tune of " Jack's the 
lad," from an old humstrum of a fiddle, played 
by a colored man, mounted on a tub, as his 
orchestra. Our musician, though not possess- 
ing the talents of Faganiui, w as thought just 
as much of by the group whom he was endeav- 
oring to amuse with the discordant sounds from 
his instrument. 

The following directions and instructions for 
the information of ail sailors wlio may be in- 
clined to trip it, as all sailors from time imme- 
morial are w^ont, " on the light, fantastic toe," 
were recently found among the papers of the 



THE BALL. 141 

late Sir Joseph Yorke, of facetious memory. 
They form a perfect vade mecum for the vahant 
defenders of our wooden walls, when they are 
" capering ashore ;" and by carefully studying 
this manual of " dancing made easy " to tars' 
capacities, the ascensus from the gun-room to 
the ball-room will be facilis indeed. 

FIRST FIGURE. 

Le 'pantaloon. Haul upon the starboard 

tack, let the other craft pass, then bear up and 
get your head on the other tack ; regain your 
berth on the larboard tack, back and fill with 
your partner, box-haul her, wear round twice 
against the sun, in company with the opposite 
craft and your own : afterwards box-haul her 
again, and bring up. 

SECOND FIGURE. 

L'ete. — Shoot ahead about two fathoms till 
you nearly come astern of the other craft under 
way ; then make a stern board toward your 
berth, side out for a bend, first to starboard and 
then to port, make sail and pass the other craft, 
get your head round on the other tack, another 
bend to starboard and port, make sail to regain 
your berth, wear round, back and fill, and box- 
haul your partner, and heave to. 



142 THE BALL. 

THIRD FIGURE. 

La poiile. — Heave ahead, and pass your ad- 
versary yard-arm and yard-arm, regain your 
berth on the other tack ; in the same order take 
your station in the line with your partner, back 
and fill, fail on your heel and bring up with 
your partner; she then rnancEuvres ahead; 
heave all back, shoot ahead again, and pay 
off alongside ; you then make all sail in compa- 
ny with her till nearly astern with the other 
line ; make a stern-board, and cast her off to 
shift for herself; regain your berth by the best 
means in your power, and let go your anchor. 

FOURTH FIGURE. 

La Trenise.—Wear round as before against 
the sun ; twice box-haul the lady ; range up 
alongside her, and make sail in company ; 
when half way across to the other shore drop 
astern with the tide short, and cast off the 
craft ; now" back and fill as before, and hox- 
haul her and yourself into your berth, and bring 
up. 

FIFTH FIGURE. 

La Pastorale. — Shoot ahead alongside your 
partner ; make a stern-board, and all sail over 
to the other coast ; let go the hawser and pay 
off in your berth, and take a turn till the three 



THE BALL. 143 

craft ojiposite range up abreast twice towards 
you, and back astern again; now manceuvring 
any rig you like, only under easy sail, as it is 
always a light breeze, easy zejjJnjrs they call it 
in this passage. As soon as you see their helms 
down, haul round in company with them on 
the larboard tack, and make all sail with your 
partner into your berth, and bring up. 

SIXTH FIGURE. 

La Finale.— Wear round to starboard, pass- 
ing under your partner's stern-lights, the cat- 
heads of the craft on your starboard bow ; then 
make sail into your berth, your partner passing 
athwart your bow ; now proceed according to 
the second order of sailing; complete the evo- 
lutions, shoot ahead and lock astern twice, in 
company with the wliole squadron, in circular 
order of sailing. Jos. Yorke, Admiral. 

It is well to give an occasional truce to se- 
rious thoughts and daily occupations. No sub- 
ject is so trivial but that a little research, and 
the art of viewing it in connection with other 
and greater things, can make it interesting and 
even useful. The present party of visiters was 
numerous, and they seemed much pleased with 
the polite attentions paid them, in addition to 
the amusements received^. Every thing went 



144 LEAVE SINGAPORE. 

on with the most perfect harmony and hilarity, 
and they did not separate until a late hour. 

Our necessary arrangements having been 
completed at Singapore, with the return of our 
sick to the ship from the hospital on shore, we 
once more got under way, with the John Ad- 
ams, on the 28th March, bound to Macao, in 
China. 

During the passage we were for the most 
part favored with fine, pleasant weather, the 
breezes principally light, and we met frequently 
with small islands, in which the Chinese sea 
abounds ; in fact, too many to enumerate. 

That scourge, the dysentery, carried off seven 
of the crew during the passage, and did not re- 
lax in the least its sway over us, for the daily 
sick report generally averaged from 100 to 110 
individuals, who were afflicted with it ; so much 
so, as to be incapacitated from performing their 
usual duties. 

On the 7th April we passed a Chinese junk, 
standing to the northward, and on the 27th 
the John Adams parted company, and directed 
her course for Manilla. 

On the 25th inst. we were amongst several 
Chinese fishing-boats, in hourly expectation of 
making the land, which we did not see until 
the following morning ; and on the 27th, hav- 



STOP PUT TO TRADE. 145 

ing received a Chinese pilot on board, we came 
to anchor, in the roads off Macao, after 30 
days' passage from Singapore. 

A great variety of merchant shipping were 
laying at anchor off Macao, as also the British 
sloop of war Larn, which saluted us on our 
arrival. We, according to the usual custom, 
hoisted the Portuguese colors at the fore, and 
saluted them with 21 guns, which was returned 
by the forts ashore. 

The first information we received of any in- 
terest, on our arrival, was, that all commercial 
intercourse between China and other nations 
was at a complete stand, arising from the Chi- 
nese having detected some European vessels 
smuggling opium into their country, which was 
prohibited, according to their established mari- 
time laws and regulations. 

In consequence of this breach of commercial 
intercourse, a restriction had been placed on 
the accustomed privileges of the British, Dutch, 
and American consuls, who, on that account, 
had presented addresses to the proper local au- 
thorities, requesting to return home to their re- 
spective countries. 



13 



CHAPTER XII. 



" Let China unfold her rich gems to the view. 

Each virtue, each joy to improve — 
O give me the fireside that I know to be true, 

And the fair that I tenderly love. 
What 's glory but pride ? — a vain bubble is fame ; 
What 's riches but trouble — and titles, a name ? " 



Description of Macao — Deaths — Lea,ve Macao — Toon- 
koo Bay — Account of Canton — Chinese Customs, &c. 
— The Bnmboat— Death and Epitaph. 

Macao is a Portuguese settlement. It is sit- 
uated in 22° ir north latitude, and llio 32' 
east longitude, on a rocky peninsula. It was 
renowned for its safe harbor long before the 
Portuguese settled on it. Two principal ranges 
of hills, one running from north to south, the 
other from east to west, may be considered as 
forming an angle, the base of which leans 
upon the river, or anchoring place. The level 
ground, with the exception of a few habitations 
of European architecture, is filled by the ba- 
zar, and a great many Chinese shops, for 



MACAO DEATHS. 147 

tradesmen and mechanics. The stranger's at- 
tention is roused by a variety of public and 
private buildings, raised on the declivities, 
skirts and heights of hillocks. 

Macao is rendered wholesome and comfort- 
able by the regular monsoon winds and its 
streams of salubrious water, in addition to the 
benefit of a well-stocked bazar. It is now 
and then (but seldom) shaken by the convul- 
sions of earthquakes, but is oftener visited by 
dreadful typhoons, a species of hurricanes. 

The John Adams arrived on the 2 1st May, 
from Manilla. She had remained there in ex- 
pectation of our touching at that port, but, in 
consequence of our non-arrival, left again. 

Sickness still hung over our ship, with undi- 
minished intensity. We lost five more of the 
crew while remaining here. These frequent 
deaths completely absorbed us in melancholy 
reflections. It was no longer to be doubted 
that this scourge, the dysentery, which pre- 
vailed on board, had of late assumed an alarm- 
ing and fatal character. 

Our frigate laid at anchor about eight miles 
from the town, in a solitary position. On cast- 
ing our eyes on shore, they were at once fixed 
on a mountainous coast ; the sea at times gently 



148 LEAVE MACAO TOONKOO BAY. 

agitated, at other times a calm reigned over 
the solitary waters. But this calm of external 
nature accorded ill with the painful feelings 
which agitated us, on so frequently beholding 
the earthly remains of a departed shipmate 
passed over the gangway, to be conveyed to its 
last mournful home. 

On the 15th of June we left Macao, with the 
John Adams, and proceeded to Toonkoo bay, 
a distance of forty miles, where both ships an- 
chored the same afternoon. This bay affords 
excellent anchorage for shipping, and is com- 
pletely surrounded with mountainous islands. 

The water we had supplied the ship with at 
Macao not being considered wholesome, was 
started, and we commenced watering the ship 
afresh. A smart-sailing schooner, named the 
Rose, was also chartered to act as a tender to 
the ships. This chance, in addition to our de- 
tention for the purpose of supplying the ships 
with provisions and water, afforded an excel- 
lent opportunity to many to employ their lei- 
sure time by paying a visit to Canton, — an 
opportunity which was embraced by many. 

That city is situated seventy-five miles above 
Macao, in 23° 7 north latitude, and 113° 7' 
east longitude. It is the largest port in China, 



ACCOUNT OF CANTON. 149 

and the only one that has been much fre- 
quented by Europeans. The city walls are 
about five miles in circumference, with very 
pleasant walks around it. The city is entered 
by several iron gates, and within side of each 
there is a guard-house. 

The streets of Canton are very straight, but 
generally narrow, paved with flag-stones. 

There are many pretty buildings in this city, 
great numbers of triumphal arches, and tem- 
ples well stocked with images. It is computed 
that there are in this city and its suburbs 
1,200,000 inhabitants, and there are often 8000 
trading vessels lying before the city. 

The streets of Canton are so crowded, that 
it is difficult to walk in them ; yet a woman, of 
any fashion, is seldom to be seen, unless by 
chance, when coming out of her chair. 

There are some hills adjacent to the city of 
Canton, on which forts are built, and from 
which you have a fine prospect of the country, 
which is beautifully interspersed with moun- 
tains, little hills and valleys, all green ; and these 
are pleasantly diversified with small towns, 
villages, high towers, temples, the seats of man- 
darins and other great men, which are watered 
with delightful lakes, canals, and small branches 
13* 



150 CHINESE CUSTOMS. 

from tlie river Tay, on which are numberless 
boats and junks, sailing through the most fer- 
tile parts of the country. There are also many 
private walks about the skirts of the town, 
where those of the better sort have their houses, 
which are very little frequented by Europeans, 
whose business lies chiefly in the trading part 
of the city, where there are only shops and 
warehouses. The shops of those who deal in 
silks are very neat, make a fine show, and are 
all in one place. 

The Chinese, in their persons, are of the 
middle size, their faces broad, their eyes black 
and small, their noses blunt, and turned up- 
wards. They have high cheek-bones and large 
lips. They pluck up the hairs of the lower 
part of their faces by the roots, with tweezers, 
leaving a few straggling ones by way of beard ; 
and my reader must allow that " different coun- 
tries have different fashions." A face, titivated 
off in this style, would look particularly awk- 
ward, surrounded by the rolling collar of a 
long tailed blue, as worn at home nowadays 
by our modern dandies. Corpulence is es- 
teemed a beauty in a man, but considered as a 
palpable blemish in the fair sex, who particu- 
larly aim at preserving a delicacy of shape 



GREAT WALL OF CHINA. 151 

and sliraness of body. The women have usual- 
ly a peculiarly arched eyebrow, — as much the 
effect of art as nature, — a very unmeaning 
face, and, among the higher classes, exceed- 
ingly small feet, from the tight pressure, during 
infancy, of small wooden shoes. 

According to Chinese history, this custom 
originated several centuries back, when a large 
body of females rose, and endeavored to over- 
throw the government. To prevent the recur- 
rence of such an event, the use of wooden 
shoes was employed on all female infants, so 
small as to disable them, without great pain, to 
make use of their feet. This custom has now 
become so familiar, from long usage, that a 
small foot is reckoned one of the greatest at- 
tractions a Chinese female possibly can pos- 
sess. 

The most remarkable of the remains of 
antiquity in the Chinese empire, is the great 
wall separating China from Tartary. It is 
supposed to extend from twelve to fifteen hun- 
dred miles, carried over mountains and valleys. 
It is in most places built of brick and mortar, 
which is so well tempered, that, though it has 
stood more than two thousand years, it is but 
little decayed. The wall is from twenty to 
twenty-five feet high, flanked with towers at 



152 THE BUMBOAT. 

the distance of almost every hundred yards, 
which add to its strength, and render it much 
easier to be defended. It is wide enough for 
six horsemen to travel abreast. 

Having viewed all that possibly could be seen 
of the city of Canton, — many of whose curios- 
ities are debarred from the sight of the stran- 
ger, — our parties returned to the frigate, laying 
in Toonkoo bay. 

A transaction took place, while laying here, 
which excited at the time much commisera- 
tion for the parties concerned, the immediate 
sufferers on the occasion. A large boat, sup- 
plied with a variety of articles, and termed a 
bumboat, had been in the habit of coming along- 
side daily, for the purpose of vending com- 
modities to the mariners, in despite of the 
prohibition to the contrary from the mandarins, 
who had issued an especial order, that no boat 
whatever, from the shore, should have any 
intercourse with any foreign shipping, in con- 
sequence of the stop being p«t to trade, arising 
from the opium business. By this decree, they 
had even extended their resentment to the 
poorer classes of their own country. By this 
prohibition the proprietors of boats were de- 
prived of their daily subsistence, as their sole 
dependence rested upon their personal exer- 



THE BUMBOAT. 153 

tions in these boats, which to them was their 
home, their all, their every thing, and in which 
there are many thousands who received their 
first breath, and as many part with it again in 
them, after having run the usual course of 
nature. In fact, the rivers are covered with 
them. They are of various sizes and construc- 
tions : the owners, who are of the poorer 
classes, generally reside in them, and they 
have no further communication with the shore 
than necessity absolutely compels. 

They are covered over in the after part with 
a kind of bamboo matting, sufficiently strong 
and water-proof to keep out the rain, and of 
length sufficient to allow them to lie down, un- 
exposed to sight. These poor creatures, from 
being confined in so small a space, and accus- 
tomed to squat upon their hams, are generally 
very awkward in their movements when upon 
their feet. Their male children are taught the 
art of swimming as soon as they know the use 
of their legs, until which time they wear a cala- 
bash suspended round their necks, to buoy 
them up in case of their falling overboard. 

Now the authorities having ascertained that 
there were many of these boatmen who were 
in the habit of communicating with the differ- 
ent shipping, had put their officers on the alert, 



154 DEATH OF THE ARMORER. 

for the purpose of apprehending and bringing 
before them all persons so offending;. The 
boat which used to attend upon our ship, was 
among the number taken. Her crew consisted 
of the proprietor, his wife and child, and three 
men to assist in working her. These harbin- 
gers of justice — " heaven bless the mark ! " — 
not only deprived them of their boat and its 
contents, but also detained the woman and 
child. The men were fortunate enough to es- 
cape. I say fortunate, and not without reason, 
as by that means only they escaped some 
severe punishment ; for there is no country 
under heaven where persons putting the laws 
at defiance, even in the most trifling manner, 
are punished with greater severity than in 
China. 

I have omitted to remark that on the day 
after our arrival in Toonkoo bay, we lost the 
armorer, named Henry Fry, by that still preva- 
lent disorder, the dysentery. He will long be 
remembered by his shipmates as the Yorick of 
the ship. His loss was sincerely regretted by 
those who were devotees at the shrine of the 
merry god, Momus ; for many 's the time and 
oft he was wont to set their risible muscles in 
motion, with his crack jokes and tough yarns, 
which he knew very well how to extend, (a la 



EPITAPH. 155 

mode Munchausen.) As the following lines 
maj not be thought amiss, by way of an epi- 
taph, sacred to the memory of one who knew 
how to beguile away many a wearisome watch 
at sea, I here subjoin them : 

EPITAPH OA^ FRY, THE ARMORER. 

With the nerves of a Samson, this son of the sledge, 

By the anvil his livelihood got ; 
With the skill of a Vulcan could temper an edge, 

And strike — loliile iJie iron icas hot. 

By forging he lived, yet never was tried 

Or condemned by the laws of the land ; 
But still it is certain, and can't be denied. 

He often was burnt in the hand. 

With the sons of St. Crispin no kindred he claimed > 

With the lo.st he had nothing to do > 
He handled no av:l — and 3^et in his time 

Made many an excellent shoe. 

He blew up no coals of sedition, but still 

His bellows were always in blast; 
And I will acknowledge,- (deny it who will,) 

That one vice, and but one, he possessed. 

No actor was he, nor concerned with the stage ; 

No audience to awe him appeared ; 
Yet oft in his work — like a crowd in a rage — 

The loud murmur oi hissing was heard. 



156 EPITAPH. 

The steeling of axes was part of his laws ; 

In thieving he never was found ; 
And though he was constantly heating on bars, 

No vessel he e'er ran aground. 

Alas ! and alack ! what more can I say 

Of Vulcan's unfortunate son ? 
The priest and his messmates have born him away, 

And the sound of his hammer is done. 



tl^f 



4|i- 



CHAPTER XIII. 

List, ye landsmen, all to me ; 
Messmates, hear a brother sailor 
Tell the dangers of the sea. 

Sea Song. 

The sea, the sea ; 
The open, open sea. 

An agreeable Surprise — Loss of a Friend— His Character, 
&c. — A sad Accident— Man killed — Fourth of July — 
Leave Toonkoo Bay— Caught in a Typhoon — Account 
of the same— Our Losses — Mischief done — Sailors' 
Opinion of the Weather — A very unpleasant Prospect — 
A Lee Shore— Ship drifting — The Storm breaks — A 
friendly Opinion. 

I WAS most agreeably surprised, on the 30th 
of June, while looking through one of the 
ports, on the gun-deck, to see our old bumboat, 
which had been taken a few days before by 
the officers of justice, once more alongside 
the ship, the owner looking over her side, grin- 
ning like the head of an old fiddle, and returning 
the nod of recognition to our wonder-struck 
mariners, who by this time had fancied he 
would have been squeezed as flat as a pancake, 
14 



158 LOSS OF A FRIEND. 

between two boards, the usual method of pun- 
ishment for criminal offences in Cljina. His 
boat had been returned to him, through the 
interference of some person, in the proper 
quarter, so that be was fully reinstated once 
more in liis personal property, as well as his 
matrimonial enjoyments, by the restitution of 
his better half; that is to say, his wife and 
child. 

That cruel scourge, the dysentery, still car- 
ried on its baneful work among our ship's 
company, while remaining here, five of whom 
fell victims, from the period of the armorer's 
decease, to its rancorous effects. In this un- 
fortunate number, I lost a highly-gifted, tal- 
ented,, and valued friend, named Samuel S. 
Penrose, of Philadelphia, Pa. a corporal in 
the marine guard, one who, for his estimable 
qualities, merited the encomium of the immor- 
tal bard : 

" Take him for all in all, 
I ne'er shall look upcn his like again." 

In recalling the past to memory, it is ever 
painful to the feelings, to have to regret the 
loss of one to whom we were cemented in the 
firmest bonds of friendship. In the present 
instance, that feeling appertains to me, al- 



LOSS OF A FRIEND. 169 

thoiig'h my deceased friend followed but an 
humble capacity through his voyage of human 
life. He was ennobled with a soul, and en- 
dowed witlj natural gifts and talents, which 
would have done liim honor in a hi^! er >phere. 
He conducted himself in such a n)anner. by 
his (general principles through life, as would 
ensure him a safe anchorage in the celestial 
port of heaven, when at the last day, as the 
poet sublimely expresses, 

*' Yon cloud-capped toAvers, 
Ye gorgeous palaces, 
Ye solemn temples, 
Nay, the great globe itself, 
And all which it inherits, shall 
Dissolve ; and, like the baseless 
Fabric of a vision, leave 
Not a wreck behind." 

None surpassed him, and but few equaled 
him, in the exhibition of those kindly feelings 
of head and heart, which ennoble the human 
character, and endear man to man. He bore 
the pangs and privations of sickness with un- 
shrinking fortitude, except at momentary inter- 
vals, when his scattered thouglits might natu- 
rally wander from his sufferings to the beloved 
wife of his bosom, and soon to be fatherless 
babes. He relied, in his last momen*", upon 



160 LOSS OF A FRIEND. 

that God's mercies whose divine Son died to 
save al], and with whom I trust he is now 
enjoying the reward of the righteous. The 
ways of Divine Providence are as intricate 
as just, and it does not behoove man to repine 
at its decrees, as we are led to believe that 
whatever the supreme Creator ordains is for 
the best. Yet there is, at times, a latent spark 
of anguish, which cannot fail to kindle at the 
loss of a relative or friend. I ever considered 
Penrose as a friend. Many a tedious and 
wearisome hour we have spent in each other's 
I;, society, in our watch on deck, relating to each 

*■ ' other the scenes of our earlier years, from boy- 

hood up to manhood. Of a fine night, we 
have passed the time together upon the ocean, 
surveying the bright luminary of night, travers- 
ing the starry hemisphere in all her majesty. 
A scene like this, was ever congenial to our 
feelings, for 

" This was a realm of solitude, — 
A season and a scene for thought, 
When melancholy Avell may brood 
On years that now are not." 



t! 



I cannot refrain from heaving a sigh to the 

I memory of departed worth and friendship, as 

well as expressing my sorrow for the afflicted 



A SAD ACCIDENT. 161 

widow, and her fatherless babes, who are, as 
yet, unacqainted with their great and bitter 
loss. His remains were interred upon Toon- 
koo Island ; and, when leaving the ship, no 
feelings of sympathy could be felt more acutely, 
not even by those to whom he was allied by 
kindred, in a far distant land. 

On the 3d of July, a lamentable accident 
took place, which terminated in the death of a 
young man, named William Reeves. Although 
I have seen men die from various causes, such 
as cholera, small-pox, and other epidemic dis- 
eases ; although I have seen men hurled in an 
instant into eternity, both on shore and at sea, 
yet of all the deaths I was ever witness to, this 
one tended to make the deepest impression on 
my mind, and will ever be indelibly stamped 
upon my memory. It was about 1, P. M. that I 
was standing in the larboard gangway, looking 
at two of the crew who were playing at 
checkers, when the conversation between them 
happened to turn to the near approach of the 
4th of July, one of them at the same time 
making use of the prevalent expression, " I 
wonder where we will be, at this time, next 
year." *' In Philadelphia," responded the 
other. " I hope so," repeated the former, " for 
I should much like to be there to-day." 
14* 



162 A SAD ACCIDENT. 

At this moment, the boatswain and his mates 
summoned all hands to furl sails ; the order was 
given to lay aloft for that purpose. In the 
midst of, and while employed in this necessary 
duty, our attention was aroused by a death-like 
scream, and a sudden plunge into the water. 
*'A man overboard ! " was immediately vocifer- 
ated by upwards of a hundred voices ; and all 
was hurry and confusion towairds the imme- 
diate scene of the accident. It appeared that 
the unfortunate man was stationed on the main 
yard, at furling sails, and had incautiously 
taken both hands to haul his gasket, or fasten- 
ing taught round the sail, forgetting the old sea 
maxim, of " One hand for myself, and the 
other for the ship." Tlie gasket broke, and he 
was precipitated from the main yard over- 
board, striking the corner of the main chains 
in his descent, his head coming in contact with 
the same, dashing out his brains, previous to 
the body bounding into the water, when it sunk 
to rise no more. An elderly man, named 
James Allen, jumped overboard, on the instant, 
to recover the body, if possible ; but his lauda- 
ble efforts were fruitless, as it eluded his grasp. 

Reader ! the unfortunate man lost was one 
of the two concerned in the previous conversa- 
tion, and who expected to be in Philadelphia 



FOURTH OF JULY. 163 

the next year. This unfortunate incident veri- 
fied the saying, that " in the midst of life we 
are in death." 

This unfortunate occurrence damped the 
spirits of every one ; for, though the sailors are 
men of rough habits, their feelings are not so 
coarse but that they can/ee/ on an occasion like 
this. If they possess little feeling, or worldly 
consideration, they are likewise very free from 
selfishness. Generally speaking, they are 
much attached to one another, and will make 
great sacrifices to their mess or shipmates, 
when opportunities occur. 

On the following day, it being the 4th of 
July, the frigate was dressed out, and orna- 
mented with the colors of all nations ; and at 
meridian a salute was fired, to commemorate 
the anniversary of the day on which the sons 
of Columbia declared their national independ- 
ence. Our salute was returned by the John 
Adams, which ship was also decorated in a 
similar manner. 

From this period, until the time we left 
Toonkoo bay, nothing of any particular inter- 
est transpired, with the exception of several 
American merchant ships calling in from Can- 
ton, and sailing again for the United States, 
affording us various opportunities of sending 
letters home. 



164 ACCOUNT OF THE TYPHOON. 

Having by this time victualed and supplied 
the ship with water, on the 6th of August we 
got under way from tliis place, and stood out 
to sea, bound to the Sandwicli Islands, with 
the John Adams in company, favored by mod- 
erate breezes and clear, pleasant weather, 
which, however, was destined to he but of short 
duration. 

As the sun sunk below the horizon, on the 
following day, the 7th inst. the thick, murky 
clouds that arose, sailed along with their edge 
as well defined as if it had been a dark screen, 
gradually shoving up and across the arch of 
the blue sky ; and, as they crept over the hori- 
zon, every thing assumed a deep, dusky, purple 
hue, which tended to heighten the gloominess 
of the scene. At 9, P. M. a low murmuring 
on the surface of the water gave the indica- 
tion of the approach of a squall ; but whether 
of wind or rain, or both, was yet to be ascer- 
tained. Our doubts upon the subject were 
soon put to an end, by finding ourselves in the 
midst of it, blowing as if the god iEolus him- 
self was heading the fray ; while Aquarius, the 
water-bearer, was likewise bestowing a bless- 
ing upon us, by a bountiful supply of rain, 
which came down in torrents upon our heads. 
This was only the prelude to the business ; for, 



ACCOUNT OF THE TYPHOON. 165 

at 10, P. M. a heavy and sudden gust of wind 
split and rent to tatters the topsails, courses, 
and Other sails. This incident was the fore- 
runner and commencement of a most violent 
storm ; for, by this time, 

" Foreboding gloom o'erspread the watery plain j 
Dim was the sky, and silence reigned profound; 
Rent were the sails, while the big, hot rain, 

Commixed with squalls, began to patter round." 

Quick as thought the tattered sails were 
clewed up ; men aloft to unbend them, and 
those deemed the most necessary were sent 
down and replaced by others. All this was 
but the work of a short time, considering the 
various difficulties appertaining to the opera- 
tions, which we had to encounter from the 
darkness of the scene around us, which was 
only interrupted at intervals by the long and 
vivid flashes of lightning, which, on its exit, 
tended to make the scene more gloomy and 
dark than ever, and casting a shade, when ap- 
pearing on our countenances, of a fiery hue, 
that I almost fancied myself transformed from 
an earthly being, and had recently crossed the 
river Styx, for the Pandemonium of Pluto. 
All was anxiety and confusion until daylight, 
the following morning, which was, in our pres- 



166 sailor's opinion of the aveather. 

ent situation, the greatest blessing' that could 
be bestowed upon us. Some were now ac- 
tively employed in unbending sails, and bend- 
ing others in their places. Some reeving fresh 
running gear ; others, lashing boats and spars 
afresh, which had been jerked from their usual 
places by the violent pitching of the ship, aris- 
ing from the heavy swell of the sea, which at 
this lime was running mountains high. The 
wind was still blowing a furious gale ; and, not 
being able to carry sail, the ship was laid to, 
.under mizzen and main storm staysails. The 
wreck was cleared, as well as circumstances 
would allow, from the violent motion of the 
ship ; and I could but admire the perfect cool- 
ness with which every order was given, as well 
as the alacrity shown in obeying it. 

The same evening, I was amused with the 
following conversation, which took place be- 
tween two weather-beaten tars, and which com- 
menced as follows : 

" Well, Bill, what do you think of it 1 " 

"Hard times. It blows a regular snorter— 
don't it 1 " 

" Why, yes, it does," answers Bill. 

" But what a pucker they must be in, in 
York now, in a breeze like this, with the chim- 
jiey-pots clattering about their upper rigging. 



LEE-SHORE SHIP DRIFTING. 167 

For my part, do you see as how I'd sooner be 
where I am, in a tight ship, and plenty of sea- 
room to knock about in." 

Notwithstanding the attendant circumstan- 
ces, T couid not refrain from smiling; but 
found, on the following morning, that the latter 
observation of my shipmates, respecting plenty 
of sea-room, was rather erroneous, as we were 
under the unpleasant necessity of beholding 
the land to leeward. We also discovered that 
one of our boats had been washed from the 
stern by the violence of the waves, and we 
bad also lost the main royal-mast, and sprung 
main trysail-mast by the fury of the gale. 
The internal damage done did not of itself 
so much obtrude upon my bewildered senses, 
as the dreary prospects placed before my eyes 
of a lee shore, and that, too, upon a rocky and 
dangerous coast, with the ship, our whole and 
sole protection, still laying to, and drifting to- 
wards it. Divine Providence, however, in his 
mercy, intervened, and ordained to save us; 
for, at 9, A. M. the weather began to break, 
and, though 

" Lonp: raged the storm and raved, its lurid dye 

Mantling both sea and heaven, with aspect wild, 
At length the chaos cleared, and azure sky, 
Even like young day, when born of darkness, smiled." 



168 A FRIENDLY OPINION. 

The wind began to moderate by degrees: 
the rain had ceased, and the loud rumbling 
noise of the distant thunder was heard no 
more. More sail was put upon the ship, which 
bore us joyfull}' from our impending danger, — 
a lee shore, on the coast of China. 

In the course of a short time, our exertions 
were crowned with the pleasing gratification 
of beholding every thing in ship-shape ; that is, 
in its proper place and position. 

In the midst of the storm, I imagined to 
myself, if some of my more domesticated 
friends at home had been with me for a short 
time, I can venture to say they would never 
wish to make their second appearance as an 
actor upon the boards, in the nautical drama 
of a typhoon or Chinese hurricane. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

When as the midnight wa,tch I keep, 

I view the sparkling sea ; 
While round my messmates careless sleep, 

Dear girl, I fondly think of thee. 
Remembrance paints the last adieu, 
When you loudly wept, and sobbed, — " be true." 

Island of Formosa — Marines and Mariners — Muster the 
Watch — Laughable Mistake— Moonlight Scene at Sea 
— A cruel Scene — The Man overboard— Cross the Me- 
ridian — Change the Time— Arithmetic in Matrimony 
— Make the Sandwich Islands — Afflicting Scenes of 
Death during the passage — Arrive at Oahu — Anchor 
off Honolulu. 

From the period in which we had encoun- 
tered the heavy storm, until the 14th of August, 
nothing particular transpired worthy of notice, 
more than occasionally sighting several small 
islands, with which these seas are generally 
known to abound. 

On this day we were close in with the island 
of Formosa, situated 90 miles east of Canton, 
and lies in between 119° and 122° of east 
longitude, and 22^ and 25° north latitude. It 
15 



170 MARINERS AND MARINES. 

is subject to the Chinese, who, notwithstanding 
its proximity, did not know of its existence 
till the year 1430. It is about 85 leagues in 
length, and 25 in breadth, with a chain of 
mountains running from north to south, which 
divide it into two parts. 

A few nights afterwards, I was an eye-wit- 
ness to a scene, it being my watch out, which 
for the time much amused me, taking place 
between a boatswain's mate, and a person, who 
shall be nameless, attached to the marine 
guard* 

I would first wish to inform my reader that, 
though the words marine and mariner differ 
by one small letter only, there are no two races 
of men differ from another more completely, 
than the jollies and the johnnies. The marines 
are usually enlisted for a longer period, as in 
the army, and, when not employed afloat, are 
kept in the barracks, in such constant training, 
under the direction of their officers, that they 
are never relieved for one moment from the 
influence of strict discipline and obedience. 

The sailors, on the contrary, when their ship 
is paid off, are turned adrift, and so completely 
scattered abroad that they generally lose, in the 
riotous dissipation of a few weeks, or it may 
be days, all they have learned of good order i 



MUSTER THE WATCH. 171 

during the previous three or four years. Even 
when both parties are placed on board of a 
ship, and the general discipline maintained in 
its fullest operation, the influence of regular 
order and exact subordination is at least twice 
as greai over the marines as the saihirs. Many, 
I may say most, of their duties are entirely dif- 
ferent. It is true both the marines and seamen 
pull and haul at certain ropes leading along the 
quarter-deck ; both assist in scrubbing and 
washing decks ; both eat salt junk and drink 
grog, sleep in hammocks, and keep watch at 
night ; but in almost every other thing they 
differ. 

As far as the marines are concerned, the 
sails would never be let fall, reefed, or rolled 
up: there is, I believe, even a positive navy or- 
der against their being made to go aloft. 

The ludicrous incident alluded to, transpired 
a i'ew minutes after midnight. The starboard 
watch had been called, the larboard relieved, 
and the former o^one throujj-h the reofular and 

O o c 

usual ordeal ofnjuster, to ascertain whether any 
were missing, by being still in their hammocks, 
;iiugly moored in blanket bay, and not think- 
ing of the requisition for their services on 
deck. Now there chanced to be two individu- 
als on board of the ship similar in name, though 



172 LAUGHABLE MISTAKE. 

very dissimilar in occupations ; the one being 
a inariner, attached to the "blue-jacket " corps, 
the other a marine, belonging to that body of 
men from which he derived this particular ap- 
pellation. On mustering the watch, the " blue- 
jacket " was found to be an absentee from the 
duties of his watch ; but at that time he was 
sick in his hammock, on the doctor's list, 
which exempted him from duty. This circum- 
stance was not known to the officer who had 
mustered them. The other person bearing a 
simihir name was also excused from the night- 
watch, in consequence of the peculiar duties he 
had to attend to throughout the day. The 
word was passed for the " blue-jacket," and 
the lungs of the boatswain's mate were put in 
full force in calling the name of this poor in 
valid and solitary individual, who made no an- 
swer. But the marine, on hearing the loud 
repetition of his name, bolted upright in his 
hammock, looking the picture of astonishment, 
and answered with a spontaneous " Halloo ! " 
and " what the devil do you want 1 " " O, you 
are there, are you 1 " replied Pipes, ignorant 
who the responser might be. " You had bet- 
ter " halloo," and make a move on deck ; foH 
if I come athwart your hawse, I '11 give yoii| 
such a starting as will bring salt water teari 



MOONLIGHT SCENE AT SEA. 173 

into your eyes, and let you know what 't is to 
skin a live eel for supper." 

The marine, who was completely thunder- 
struck on hearing this threat, immediately an- 
swered, " If f do go on deck, I do ; but if I do, 
I hope to be d — d ; and if you venture to come 
within musket shot of me, for the purpose of 
using your fly-flapper, you will find me fully 
prepared to give you a crack on your knowledge- 
box that shall raise a bump that will astound 
and astonish the most learned in phrenological 
science." By this time it was found to be a mis- 
take, and the affair ended. 

On the 25th inst. we were in sight of the 
island of Tunachi, situated on the coast of Ja- 
pan. These islands are numerous, and lie 
about 150 miles east of China, between the 
30th and 41st degrees of north latitude, and be- 
tween the 130th and 142d of east longitude. 

The next morning, about 1 o'clock, my 
watch being on deck, I was relieved by a 
messmate, who informed me that another of 
our friends was drawing near the close of his 
earthly career. The moon had just risen, and 
cast a long, trembling wake of silver light on 
the surface of the water, sparkling like dia- 
monds in the distance, while the darkened half 
of her disk was as perfectly visible as if it had 
15* 



174 A DyiNG SHIPMATE. 

been half silver and half bronze. Her mild 
light, however, was not strong enough to 
quench the host of glittering stars that studded 
the arched firmament, which was without a 
cloud. I was contemplating the gorgeous 
scenery before me, which was adapted to ele- 
vate the thoughts " from nature up to nature's 
God," when this startling intelligence of the 
situation of our friend was communicated to 
me. I immediately proceeded to his cot, which 
was hanging on the berth-deck, and on view- 
ing the scene around me, entered into a new 
train of reflections, on the uncertainty of hu- 
man life, reminding me of some lines which I 
had perused when a boy, and which appeared 
well adapted to the present scene. 

" At lliis still hour of night, when the clouds are dark and 

deep, 
And all the stars sealed up, the world asleep, 
Stretched on pallet low, behold my shipmate lies, 
"With fever stricken frame, and hollow eyes ; 
Now, while wild phantoms whirl his throbbing brain, 
I watch his slumbers, and strive t' allay his pain ; 
Exert my utmost to fill up life's contracted span 
With kindliest offices to this my fellow-man." 

Words are inadequate to express in terms 
sufficiently forcible the horrors of the scene by 
which I am at present surrounded. My pooi 



A CRUEL SCENE. 175 

messmate, William Dean, has just breathed his 
last, and yielded up his soul to his Maker. He 
is now under the half-deck, laid out in his best 
clothes, and covered with the national colors. 
There are upwards of 120 men still lying in 
their cots, most of them absolutely dying for 
want of proper sustenance. God in heaven ! 
what was the reason proper stores, and plenty 
of them, were not laid in for these unfortunate 
sick men 1 Most of their daily rations allowed 
by government have been stopped by the sur- 
geon and his assistants. What has become of 
the money 1 Why not expend it upon the sick, 
and dispense with the wine in the cockpit, 
which should have been bestowed upon the 
sick and weak ? 

These are facts which can be proved, to the 
disgrace of those who were their cause. 

This morning, at 1 o'clock, I was an observer 
of a scene which would actually have disgust- 
ed and disgraced the most unfeeling monster 
that was ever suffered to walk upon the face of 
the earth. Painful as it is to my feelings to 
expose one who walks in a high and responsi- 
ble situation of life, I consider it a duty I owe 
the world at large to do so, when I see that man 
disgrace that responsibility, and trample under 
foot all the laws and rights of civilized human- 



176 A CRUEL SCENE. 

ity. The deed I am about to relate was com- 
mitted by the commodore, with the most cool 
dehberation, and took place as follows : 

The commodore was walkings on the weather- 
side of the quarter-deck with the officer of the 
watch, and through tl>e latter an order was 
given to take the second reef in the main top- 
sail. The topmen, who were not already aloft, 
lay up for that purpose ; and in consequence of 
not being smart enough in reefing the sail, the 
whole, to the number of thirteen, were called 
down, and were then and there told by the 
commodore that they were a set of lazy sons of 
b-T-s. These men, my readers, could scarcely 
crawl round the decks, that is comparatively 
speaking, the greater part of them ; as at this 
period nearly the whole of the ship's compa- 
ny was laid down with the dysentery, and 
were dying daily, frequently to the number 
of two, or sometimes three. 

For this affliction of the Almighty, no allow- 
ance was made by this humane commander ; 
but he swore he would flog every one of them. 
The threat was immediately put in execution ; 
the gratings were rigged, quarter-masters and 
boatswain's mates called, men stripped and 
seized up, and suffered the disgraceful castiga-^ 
lion, while their bones were actually coming 



A CRUEL SCENE. 177 

through their skins, and their emaciated forms 
trembling from weakness, the effect of long- 
continued and wasting disease. 

The reflection of the moon at times gave me 
an opportunity of looking up in the face of 
this sea-monster — for what else can 1 term him 1 
— and iiothing met my gaze but the linea- 
ments of pride, hatred, and revenge. 

A few days after this disgraceful transaction, 
he ordered all the sick in the ship on the quar- 
ter-deck, and plainly told them that the greater 
part of them were a set of skulking sons of 
b — s, and he only wished he could take them 
back again to Toonkoo bay, where they might 
die and be d — d. 

I would wish to ask if this conduct is to be 
or will be tolerated by any laws, either martial 
or civil ? Will not some authority take cogni- 
zance of it ? These facts can be proved by up- 
wards of three hundred men now in the city of 
Boston. 

We continued on our passage from this pe- 
riod with steady breezes, and at times rather 
chilly weather, as we had been stretching away 
to the northward, v/hen the wind would enable 
us so to do. 

On the 21st of Sept. at 7, A. M. I had seat- 
ed myself on one of the cannonade slides, and, 



,178 THE MAN OVERBOARD. 

ere many minutes expired, had sunk into an ab- 
stracted yet not unusual revery, musing over 
the past, the present, and making a fruitless 
endeavor to fathom the future, when I was 
suddenly startled by the cry of a " man over- 
board ! " and yet astonished, by the calm, 
collected conduct, and self-possession of the 
officer of the deck, who immediately cried 
out, " Cut away the life buoy ! let go the 
lee mam and topsail braces ! man the main 
clew garnets and buntlines ! up main-sail ! 
call away the larboard quarter-boat ! " The 
boat was manned, and an officer jumped in, 
and pulled away to save the drowning man, 
who in the mean time was safely hauled on 
board, by means of a rope from the fore chains, 
puffing and blowing like a grampus; and on 
finding himself once more standing upon a 
solid footing, exclaimed, " Arrah-boy, don't 
bother me ; long life and prosperity to that 
good old motto, which says, sure * a man that's 
born to be hanged will never be drowned,' — 
not that I intend to be exalted so high, at all at 
all, but leave that peculiar situation for my 
betters. Och, sure, do you thiidi [ don't know 
what good breeding manes — thank God, old 
Davey Jones hasn't got his grip on me yet, and 
I hope to spend many a day, sure, in my father's 



CHANGE THE TIME. 179 

mud edifice, blessed with the smiles of my 
charmino- Kathleen, for och, sure 

" Love is the soul of a nale Irishman. 
He loves all the lovely; loves all that he can, 
With his sprig of shelalagh and shamrock so green." 

On the 26th of September, in consequence 
of having crossed the meridian of 180'^, we 
added twenty-four hours to our time, making 
two Thursdays in the week, as also two similar 
dates in the month. This digression from the 
Usual course of old father Time very much 
puzzled the brain-box of a great many, who 
were not quite so learned as Sir Isaac Newton, 
in astrological observations, and the other inci- 
dents attending the earth's diurnal motion. In 
fact, there were many curious observations 
passed, among the men, on this circumstance. 
Some saying, as there was another day added 
to the black book of fate, there ought to be an 
extra daily allowance of provisions and grog 
served out, so as not to allow old father Time to 
get a point to windward of them. One, in 
particular, on being asked the reason of the 
change, very laconically answered, he did not 
know or care, for he always left those matters 
to his wife, who was more learned on those 
points than himself, for she had once com- 



180 ARITHMETIC IN MATRIMONY. 

pletelv puzzled him with her proficiency in an 
affair of this kind. It appeared, from the ex- 
planation given, that three months after he 
had entered into tlie hoiy banns of matrimony, 
he was blessed by his partner with a chopping 
boy, giving him an undisputed title to be called 
papa. This unlooked-for event took place on 
his return home from a short trip to sea of 
about ten or eleven weeks. He said that he 
thought there was a mistake in his wife's log, 
some how or another, and immediately put a 
question to her upon the subject, wishing to 
know how the dickens she could make nine 
months out of three. " Why, you great fool," 
she replied, "have /not been lawfully married 
to you [worse luck] three months 1 " " Yes ; 
have not you been married to me three months ?" 
" True." " Well, does not three and three 
make six?" "Certainly." " You have been 
to sea three more months, which, added to the 
six, makes nine. You cruel fellow, for sus- 
pecting me, and allowing the devil to put non- 
sense into your head." My poor shipmate was 
completely puzzled by this rule of arithmetic. 
He says all he could do was to scratch his 
head, say that's all right, bless God for giving 
him such a scholar for a wife. And from that 
day of reckoning he had not, nor ever would, , 



AFFLICTING SCENES OF DEATH. 181 

bother his brains about tiraa, either in the 
shape of days, weeks, or months. 

Nothing particular transpired, until the 6th 
of October, when we made Atooi, one of the 
Sandwich Islands, the north end bearing E. S. E. 
On the following day, we also saw the islands 
of Tooati and Morotoi, and on the 9th discov- 
ered the island of Oahu, but did not come to 
an anchor until the next day, when we brought 
up off the town of Honolulu, after a passage 
of sixty-six days from our last port, during 
which time that cruel scourge, the dysentery, 
snatched away twenty-five more of our crew to 
the realms of death, and upwards of sixty more 
individuals lying down on a bed of sickness, 
arising from its woful effects. 

It would be actually a matter of impossibil- 
ity to describe, in language sufficiently forcible, 
the state of my own feelings on this painful 
and mournful occasion, to behold my ship- 
mates, most of them in the earliest bud of 
youth, snatched away to the dreary mansions 
of the king of terrors, and not unfrequently to 
the number of two or three each day. 

Nothing but the most despairing regret was 

to be seen on the countenances of all. Cast 

my eyes which way I would, nothing met their 

glance but the cheerless prospect of the wasted 

16 



182 MELANCHOLY CONDITION. 

form, the pallid countenance, the hollow 
cheek, or sunken eye of my dying companions, 
with all the paraphernalia of sickness attend- 
ant on human nature, at its last stage of mortal 
existence. Tliat man must indeed be callous 
to tlie more refined feelings of the human 
heart, who could witness a scene like this in 
silence or unmoved ; it tended to impress the 
mind with more than religious awe, in viewing 
this general wreck of human nature. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Give honor to their memories who left the pleasant strand, 
And died on board a ship of war, far from their native land ;" 
Who left their chance of quiet age, and gi-assy church-yard grave, 
To leave their ashes on a foreign shore, or amidst the tossing wave. 

Author. 

Salutes, Visits, &c. — The Missionary — Account of the 
Sandwich Islands — Description of Honolulu — Manners, 
Customs, Dress, &c. of the Natives — The King's Visit 
— A short sketch of Nautical Life, with an unfeeling 
Transaction, 

Shortly after our arrival, we adopted the 
usual custom of firing a salute, which was re- 
turned by the fort at Honolulu. The like coui- 
pliment was also paid to the American, Brit- 
ish, and French consuls, who visited the ship. 
The John Adams, from which we had parted 
company several days before, also arrived, and 
came to anchor. On the first Sunday after 
our arrival, one of the American missionaries 
came on board, and, after the usual course of 
prayers had been read, delivered a very impres- 
sive discourse. 

I could not fail to notice his concluding re- 



184 ACCOUNT OF SANDWICH ISLANDS. 

marks, wherein he stated that the period of 
twenty years had nearly elapsed since he had 
left the wharves of Boston, as an humble mes- 
senger of the divine word, and during that 
time upwards of 18,000 of the natives of these 
islands, who had previously been living in a 
state of the most barbarous ignorance, had 
been converted to a state of religious civiliza- 
tion, and a knowledge of the holy gospel. This 
observation could but please the feelings of the 
true Christian ; as at the same time it reminded 
me of the words of Pope, who says, 

Father of all, in every age, 

In every clime adored ; 
By saint, by savage, or by sage — 

Jehovah, Jove, or Lord. 

The Sandwich Islands, of which Oahu is 
one, are a group situated in the South Sea, 
among the last discoveries of Captain Cook, 
who so named them in honor of the Earl of 
Sandwich, under whose administration these 
discoveries were made. They are eleven in 
number, extending in latitude from 18° 54' 
to 22° 15' north, and in longitude from 150° 
54' to 150° 24' west. They are called by 
the natives, Owhyee, Mowee, Ramai, Mor- 
otoi, Taonka, Oahu, (where we were laying,) 
Atooi, Neeheehow, Morotoi, and Tahoora, 



ACCOUNT OF SANDWICH ISLANDS. 185 

all inhabited, with the exception of the two 
last. 

The island of Oahu, is imagined to be the 
finest one of the whole group. It is seven 
leagues northwest of Morotoi, and is supposed 
to contain upwards of 60,000 inhabitants. 

Honolulu, the principal town of this island, 
is not only the capital, but is also the chief 
residence of the king of the Sandwich Islands. 
It is irregularly laid out, the houses being en- 
closed by adobes ; that is, large blocks of sun^ 
dried clay, and its aspect is rendered very 
cheerless, by being almost entirely without 
trees. 

Most of the houses are composed of a sort 
of thatch, and in form much resemble ricks of 
sun-burnt hay. The population of this town 
is supposed to be between six and seven thou- 
sand, of which number there are a great many 
foreigners, chiefly Americans, engaged in trade. 

The original inhabitants, or more properly 
termed the Kenackers, as far as their means 
la'ill allow, ape the costumes of foreigners, so 
that the street scenes in this place are as vari- 
ous as they are grotesque. For instance, you 
will see some entirely naked, with the excep- 
tion of a garment, which is very small, being 
merely a string about the loins, to support a 
16* 



186 HORSE RACE. 

fold of native cloth, worn perpendicularly be- 
tween the limbs, which is called a tappah. 
Others, in addition to this, will add an old 
cast-ofF vest, coat, pantaloons, or shirt, and, 
with either one of these articles, consider 
themselves in full dress. 

The women generally wear a loose slip, or 
gown, and are particularly fond of stringing 
flowers into necklaces, and other fanciful orna- 
ments. Very few of them will encumber their 
feet with shoes or stockings, but at the same 
time display well tatooed ankles. Their com- 
plexion is olive, and their general appearance, 
on the whole, is agreeable, 

I was one day an eye-witness to a scene on 
shore, which gave me a convincing proof, also, 
of their strength of nerve and activity, — a 
scene which tended not only to amuse, but per- 
fectly astonished me. It was a horse race, 
which took place on a level plain, the competi- 
tors being two respectable merchants, (as I was 
informed,) on the one side, and two good-look- 
ing girls, about seventeen years of age, on 
the other. The horses, which were thorough- 
bred Hawaiian coursers, were owned by some 
of the nabobs of the island, who were the prin- 
cipal supporters of the turf The prize to be 
contended for was a purse of fifty dollars. 



HORSE RACE. 187 

The usual notice having been given, that the 
king would preside at the sports of the day, on 
his arrival with Governor Boki, the signal was 
given, and the steeds entered the field of com- 
petition, arrayed in very gaudy, yet tawdry 
trappings. Next came the two Kenacker girls, 
and took their stations at the starting post, 
after giving a sudden spring into their saddles, 
with the most perfect ease and nonchalance. 
They were in a perfect state of nudity, with 
the exception of a tappah, — a small piece of 
ribband which fastened their hair behind, and 
large bracelets and anklets. At the same 
time, I noticed the various ornamental devices 
which were tatooed on their ankles. There, 
they sat until the time of starting, seated in the 
same position, as all chevaliers are when on 
horseback, looking like two of the sylph-formed 
nymphs of chaste Diana's train, arrayed in 
nature's sweetest charms, and blushing like the 
mountain rose. At the appointed signal, away 
they all started at full tilt, and with the utmost 
speed ; the male competitors at first taking the 
lead, which I regretted to see, as the wishes of 
the greater part of the spectators were for the 
success of the fair Amazonians. Those wishes 
were gratified ; for, after running about a mile, 
they passed their opponents, putting their pant- 



188 THE king's visit. 

ing steeds to their utmost mettle, keeping the 
distance they had gained, until the conclusion 
of the race, which they won in a most gallant 
style. Their equestrian skill and agility met 
with the success it deserved ; and I could but 
fancy that the defeated parties might have 
found ^orae other amusement, than risking 
their own necks, and that of these two poor 
girls, independent of the little honor that would 
have accrued to them, had they gained the 
race. The shame of defeat was something 
like a dose of castor-oil, difficult to be gulped 
down ; and they left the course, completely 
mortified and crest-fallen, at their being de- 
feated by two women. 

On the 24th inst. the king of these islands, 
accompanied by his sister and retinue, visited 
the ship. On his arrival, the yards were 
manned, and a salute fired, of twenty-one guns. 
He appeared to be about 25 years of age, of a 
colored complexion, expressive features, and 
on the whole rather good looking. He was 
dressed in full uniform, consisting of a hand- 
some blue cloth coat, with scarlet facings, a 
pair of splendid and very large gold epaulets, 
white vest, fawn-colored trowsers, and cocked 
hat, ornamented with a cockade and gold lace. 
I also remarked the splendid scabbard which 



DRESS. 189 

bung by his side, containing bis sword, which 
was of the first workmanship. There was 
nothing remarkable in the appearance of his 
retinue ; they were habited in the European 
costume also, {tout d la mUitmre,) reminding 
me of the dress of the French gens d^armes. 
On the whole, the confinement of their limbs 
n clothing, seemed to be irksome ; and I very 
much doubt if they would not rather be clothed 
in their birth-day suit, as they were when these 
islands were first discovered. 

The king's sister was also dressed in the 
European style. At a distance, she forcibly 
reminded me of one of our modern belles ; her 
dress would have done credit to a first-rate 
milliner, and she appeared as though she had 
been turned out of a bandbox, off hand, with- 
out spot or blemish. I regret much I could not 
meet with an opportunity to view her counte- 
tenance, as I am myself a great admirer of the 
fair sex, — that is, as far as is consistent with 
politeness, and those attentions which their 
delicacy of nature so peculiarly demand at our 
hands. 

In perusing the following sketch, I would wish 
my readers to know that I do not write it from 
any fit of spleen or malice, or from any private 
injury that /may have sustained, but to aid in 



190 



NAUTICAL LIFE. 



imprinting indelibly on my memory the impres- 
sion made by a cruise around the world, on 
board of a man of war, and likewise to serve 
me as a caution, ever to be aware of the un- 
principled arts of the abandoned and profli- 
gate. I trust my better sense and judgment 
will so model my feelings, as to take an exam- 
ple by the conduct and general behavior of 
those who walk in a higher sphere of nautical 
life, and by whom I am at present surrounded. 
There is, my reader, a vast difference in the 
respective situations of a citizen, and that man 
who is doomed to wander from one confine 
of the earth to the other, and who is only to 
be compared to a bird of passage. He who 
exists within the precincts of a city, amid the 
noisy din, and brawling of the multitnde, en- 
gaged in their various daily occupations, can, if 
so inclined, collect to himself a few moments 
in the course of the day, or at least the night, 
when he can withdraw from the bugtle and tur- 
moil, attendant on business, and seclude him- 
self from the gaze of the vulgar, and indulge in 
his own thoughts, feelings, sorrows, or passions, 
without fear of being scoffed at by the mali- 
cious, the ignorant, or the slanderer. He 
exists in the bosom of his family, surrounded, 
as circumstances may be, by his parents, wife, 



NAUTICAL LIFE. 191 

children, brothers, sisters, and friends, enjoy- 
ing the sweet tranquillity of domestic happi- 
ness. Now, my reader, " mark the contrast," 
The man pursuing his career of life on the 
bosom of the wide and expansive ocean, on 
board of a man of war, is differently situated. 
There is no retiring from the crowd, no such 
thing as seclusion, no going beyond the sound of 
cursing and blasphemy, no time or place for con- 
templating and admiring the beauties of nature. 
That alone is unlike all other situations of life, 
and I can only compare it to the world in min- 
iature ; it in reality being a world of itself 
Truly did Shakspeare speak, when he said, 

" All the world 's a stage, 
And men and women merely players." 

Here are collected together, in one vast as- 
semblage, a body of men, from the true gen- 
tleman to the lowest vagabond ; from the reli- 
gious to the blasphemer. In fact, a community 
of this kind consists of men of every descrip- 
tion, including the abandoned and profligate. 
Here are to be found the thief, the seducer, the 
gambler, the drunkard, and the unfortunate 
exile or wanderer. Yiere^ also, is to be found 
the man of honesty, the man of honor, the 
truly religious, and the truly temperate. Also 



192 UNFEELING TRANSACTION. 

here is to be found the man of unbiased prin- 
ciples, who would not swerve from his duty at 
any price. Various are the enormities which 
are daily committed on board of a ship of war. 
I will merely note one as an illustration, 
whereby an idea may be formed, respecting 
the character of the greater ones. The cir- 
cumstance to which I am alluding came under 
my observation a {"ew evenings since, while 
laying in this harbor ; and I can positively 
assure my readers, that I do not insert it from 
any injury sustained on my part, more than 
regret of feeling, at seeing, and being obligated 
to be an eye-witness of such cold, brutish, and 
reckless depravity, inherent among many, at the 
time a fellow-mortal was in the agonies of death. 
On the evening of this day, after the sun- 
down drum had rolled off beat to quarters, and 
sounded the retreat, the night pennant hoisted, 
also tlie hammocks piped down, hung up, and 
the crew dispersed in different directions, I 
seated myself on one of the shot-boxes between 
two of the guns on the spar-deck. It was now 
twilight ; the sun was just sinking in the hori- 
zon, the beautiful refulgent clouds, with their 
variegated hues forming a vast canopy, raised 
to a great height in the centre, gradually de- 
clining as the eye extended, until it finally shut 



UNFEELING TRANSACTION. 193 

down on the ocean. All around formed one 
vast variegated dome, recalling vividly to my 
mind the romances of the Houris, and the 
fairy land that I used to peruse in miy boyish 
days. While admiring this beautiful scene, my 
attention was aroused by the sound of revelry 
proceeding from forward. I instantly, from 
motives of curiosity, proceeded to the scene of 
merriment, where I found a gang of twenty or 
thirty engaged in singing, or rather roaring, 
in a boisterous manner. Proceeding farther, I 
found several others engaged in dancing, I was 
about to say ; but there I should be wrong, as 
it was only an apology for that polite recrea- 
tion, so I will say kicking up their heels, as 
gracefully as young bears, stamping heavily on 
he deck to various tunes played fron» an old 
fiddle. 

Tliere was still another scene, and one of a 
much more serious nature, at this particular 
time, transpiring under the half deck,— a scene 
which ought to have impressed upon the minds 
of these reckless, thoughtless, and cold-hearted 
ndividuals ideas of a different description 
tlian those to be derived from revelry and mer- 
riment, A solitary individual was here stand- 
ng by the side of a cot, at the foot of which a 
antern was suspended by a rope-yarn, while 
17 



194 UNFEELING TRANSACTION, 

the faint rays which it emitted fell upon the 
pale features of an emaciated being, in the last 
agonies of death, on the eve of being ushered 
into eternity, without a friend to soothe his 
dying moments, or a hand to alleviate his suffer- 
ings, save the coarse attentions of a rough 
messmate ; no voice imparting consolation to 
his ear, no sound save the heedless merriment 
of those whom I have already noticed. 

This is only one of the many similar occur- 
rences which transpire daily on board of a 
man of war, where power is unbounded, and 
one absolute will reigns unchecked. 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

All the world 's a stage, and men and women 

Merely players. — 

They have their exits and their entrances ; 

And one man in his time plays 

Many paits. Shakspeare. 

Moralizing — On Men and Manners — More Deaths — Dis- 
agreeable Word — Cure for the Scurvy — My humble 
Opinion — Principal Diet of the Islanders — Manner of 
Cooking — John Adams leaky — Whale Ships— Opinion 
of a Blubber Hunter. 

The reader of this humble work must excuse 
me for continuing the subject with which I 
conchided the last chapter. No doubt there 
are many who will say, " Is it possible that a 
man who follows the sea, especially on board 
of a man of war, can thus moralize upon the 
infirmities of the human mind ? " I respect- 
fully answer them, "Yes; such a man am I; 
driven, by domestic troubles and afflictions, an 
unwilling exile from my native land, — not 
from any point of crime, but those misfortunes 
usually attendant on too much generosity of 
principles." Therefore I trust my readers will 



196 MORALIZING. 

excuse me for continuing my moralizing a 
little farther. I have surveyed men and man- 
ners, as they are, v/here I am at present situ- 
ated ; and I will now place myself in each 
respective character to be found here, to con- 
vince my readers what I wish men and man- 
ners should be. 

First, — the gentleman. In attempting to 
personate this character, I may be thought 
ambitious. Let it be so. Had it pleased 
Providence to have placed me in a sphere of 
life different from my present one, I flatter 
myself the urbanity of my general disposition 
and refinement of manners, would have gained 
me the estimation of my superiors, the love 
and regard of my equals, and the most defer- 
ential respect from my inferiors. Even in my 
humble walk of life, I have always shown def- 
erence to the former, good and friendly regard 
for the second, and, from a natural feeling 
I possess, which sets aside all distinction be- 
tween me and my fellow-men, unless on a 
point of duty, I have ever been respected by 
the third and last. When a man is placed in 
a station over his fellow-men, it rests entirely 
with liimself to be either loved and respected, 
or hated and despised. If the former, the prin- 
ciple to be adopted is, if possible, to anielio- 



MORALIZING. 197 

rate the situation of those under him by every 
kind attention within his power ; redress their 
grievances, and, if they themselves are the 
offending party, not to condemn unheard, or 
punish without the strongest and most evident 
proofs of their guilt. For, when a spiteful or 
malicious man, placed in a situation over his 
fellow-men, and endowed with a trifling power, 
has a mind to glut his appetite in any respect, 
innocence, or even merit, is no protection 
against him. The cries of justice and the 
voice of reason are of no effect upon a con- 
science hardened in malice, and a mind versed 
in a long practice of tyranny and oppression. 
Remonstrances, however reasonably urged, or 
movingly couched, have no more influence 
upon the heart of such a man, than the gentle 
breeze has upon the oak, when it whispers 
through its branches, or the rising surges upon 
the deaf rock, when they dash and break 
against its side. 

Persons should never be entrusted with pow- 
er, who have more regard to the gratification 
of their own resentful feelings than to peace 
and justice, and who will turn a deaf ear to 
those who are placed in a more humble walk 
of life than themselves, although their cause, 
at the same time, may be founded on the basis 
17* 



198 MORALIZING. 

of truth and justice ; in proof of which, this 
morning I saw a man, named Thomas Hodson, 
punished for one of the most ludicrous things 
imaginable. Lieutenant Pahxier was officer 
of the watch. He is one of those persons 
who consider none so good-looking or well- 
informed as themselves, — a regular would-he 
modern dandy. In fact, at times, according to 
the way he struts, the deck is scarcely good 
enough for him to walk upon. He is nick- 
named " the lady-killer " by the crew, in con- 
sequence of his pride and dandyism. 

The man above alluded to had been into the 
head, and on his exit from the same left the 
door open, which was perceived by the officer, 
who immediately called him aft to the main- 
mast, and asked him how he dared to presume 
to leave that door open, when he was officer of 
the deck; at the same time sending for a boat- 
swain's mate, and bidding Tom stand up to 
receive the lashes. Poor Tom tried to excuse 
himself, but it was of no use. Lieutenant 
Palmer would not hear a word. The offence 
was too heinous, to his very delicate and sen- 
sitive smelling organs ; so, tucking his fingers 
into the pockets of his waistcoat, he exclaimed, 
"You be d — d, sir! stand up there." Tom 
stood up, took his " dowry," and made his exit, 



MORALIZING. 199 

exclaiming, when out of hearing, " Why does 
not that lady-killer carry a bottle of eau de 
Cologne in his pocket 1 " 

I consider this the worst place that ever 
a man made his appearance in for the sake of 
bettering his circumstances, if he has run away 
with the foolish idea that he could do so by his 
fingering tactics, or, more properly, conveying 
the property appertaining to his neighbor, to 
himself. A general conveyancer, of this de- 
scription, is as contemptible as dishonest. That 
man who would enrich himself by repeated 
acts of plunder from his various shipmates, — 
many of whom might be in worse circumstances 
than himself, — deserves to be punished with 
the utmost severity and rigor. 

Every man will allow, with myself, that 
more honor (if there be any attached to it) 
is shown by that man who will expose himself 
on the highway, obeying the dictates of his ne- 
farious and sinful calling, by robbing from the 
rich to bestow upon the poor. 

The seducer has here ample opportunities of 
reflecting on the cruel, brutal, and sinful con- 
duct he has been guilty of in destroying forever 
the peace of mind of that helpless individual 
whom he had so incessantly bound himself, by 
oaths and protestations, to cherish and protect, 



200 BIORE DEATHS. 

before she yielded to his fickle embraces, and 
made him master of her honor. The daily 
scenes here, under his observation, will recall 
to his mind the scenes of more halcyon days, 
when blessed in the society of his unfortunate 
and distressed victim, and cause him to regret 
their departure and long for their return, under 
different ideas and more honorable principles. 

The drunkard I need not comment upon, as 
my readers have already had my opinion on 
the subject of intemperance, in the third chap- 
ter of this book. 

The unfortunate exile, or wanderer, it would 
be of no use for me to personate, as I am here 
as such, in propria persona. 

I now return to my history of the cruise, and 
regret much to observe, that, during our stay 
in this port, we lost several more of the men by 
the dysentery, and their remains were conveyed 
on shore for interment. These frequent scenes 
of death, and being literally obliged to be an 
unwilling spectator of them, were enough to 
daunt any one. Placed as I am, I consider 
my body, or at least the services exacted from 
it, to belong to my employers. I was going to 
observe that I could scarcely call my soul my 
own ; but there I should be wrong, as that 
would be a catachresis, — and I hate and abom- 



DISAGREEABLE WORD. 201 

inate a cat, and every thing which begins with 
cat. It is singular that they are all unpleas- 
ant, unlucky, or unsafe; for instance, — cata- 
comhs reminds you of death, funerals, and 
mummies ; catalogue^ sale of effects, — some 
poor devil done up ; cataplasm^ a boil or sore 
poulticed ; cataract^ sore eyes and devastation ; 
catarrh, bad cold, head stuffed, running of the 
glands ; catechism, equally unpleasant in youth 
or marriage ; categorical^ argument which is 
detestable ; caterpillars, beasts who foul na- 
ture ; caterwaul, horrid variety of love ; catgut^ 
street music from a hurdy-gurdy ; catspaw, at 
sea in a calm, with a prize in sight. As for 
cats themselves, I cannot say too much against 
them; and it is singular that other meanings 
of the single word are equally disagreeable ; 
as, to cat the anchor, is a sign of going to sea ; 
and that woful cat at the gangv/ay, possessing 
nine tails, is the worst cat of all. 

Those of our crew who were in a state of 
convalescence, were occasionally permitted to 
take a run on shore, for the purpose of re- 
cruiting their health ; and several, who were 
afflicted with the scurvy, underwent the opera- 
tion of being buried in the earth, up to the 
chin, which is supposed to be a cure for that 
disorder. 



202 JOHN ADAMS LEAKY. 

A prescription of this kind I do not consider 
at all desirable, as I should not approve of 
being buried up to my neck in the soil, in 
a lone spot, and, on casting my eyes around, 
to behold the very comfortable prospect of a 
whole flock of turkey buzzards, hovering over 
my head, ready to pounce down on my peri- 
cranium. 

Notwithstanding this island abounds with 
fish, flesh, and fowl, in profusion, the na- 
tives kill dogs, which are fattened for the pur- 
pose, the same as we would hogs at home, and 
when cooked, are considered by them as the 
richest epicurean dish they have. Having no 
ovens, they cook their food in holes in the 
ground, lined with large stones, which are 
made hot, and then covered over to retain the 
heat. 

During our stay in Honolulu, we lost ten 
more of our crew with the dysentery, and their 
remains were sent ashore from the ship, for 
the purpose of being interred. 

Our stay in this port was also procrastinated 
longer than was at first intended, it having 
been discovered that the John Adams was 
in rather a leaky condition. It appeared that, 
after parting company with us on the last 
passage, she had experienced another severe 



WHALE SHIPS. 203 

and heavy gale of wind, off the Bonin Islands, 
to which the leak was attributed, as she had 
labored much. After undergoing a thorough 
scrutiny, the leak was happily discovered, and 
the same stopped. 

The principal arrivals and departures from 
this port, during our stay, consisted of Ameri- 
can whale ships, many of whom had been out 
from the United States upwards of two years, 
and the success attending their exertions was 
appropriate to the length of time they had been 
absent. The Sandwich Islands are a general 
rendezvous for these vessels, which are techni- 
cally termed blubber-hunters, their principal 
cruising ground being off the Japan Islands. 
There were several men joined our ship, who 
had been discharged from some of them at this 
place ; and, actuated by motives of curiosity, I 
have frequently sought converse with some of 
them, respecting the general manoeuvres per- 
formed i«i kiUing that enormous fish, the whale ; 
from which conversations I derived the infor- 
mation, that it was a most dangerous occupa- 
tion, and only fir, for a man who would like to 
be called Jonah the second. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Let them throw out then- jeers, and cry, " spite of their crosses, 

And forgetful of toil, that so hardly they bore, 
That sailors, at sea, earn their money like horses, 

To squander it idly, like asses, ashore." 

Sea Song. 

Sail from Honolulu — A False Alarm — A Death— Cross 
the Equinoctial Line — Off the Marquesas — Arrive at 
Otaheite — Description of the same— Inhabitants— Cus- 
toms, Dress, Manners, &c. — A Liberty Scrape — Dreams 
not always realized. 

On the 4th of November we once more got 
under way, accompanied by the John Adams, 
and proceeded onwards to our next port, being 
bound to Otaheite, one of the Society Islands. 
Eor the first few days after our departure we 
were favored with fine breezes and clear, pleas- 
ant weather, which, however, was of but short 
duration, as, froiB the Sth of the month, we 
experienced nothing but squally weather, ac- 
companied by incessant rains, for upwards of 
a fortnight, without intermission. 

On the 9th inst. at 8, P. M. just as the watch 
had been relieved, and I had turned into my 



A FALSE ALARM. 205 

hammock to pass away an hour or two in the 
arms of the drowsy god, Somnus, my attention 
was aroused by a noise and unusual commotion 
on the spar-deck, and the only sounds that 
were intelligible to me was some one singing 
out, or rather roaring out, " Hard at starboard." 
This I knew was intended for the man at the 
wheel to hear. Then another person exclaim- 
ed, "The life-buoy is gone, sir." The last 
expression was enough for me ; as I immedi- 
ately concluded some unhicky wight had fallen 
overboard, I jumped out of my hamm.ock, or 
dreaming-bag, nearly breaking my neck at the 
time, as the ship then fetched a heavy lurch, 
which threv/ me on the most prominent fea- 
ture of my face, or, more properly, my nasal 
organ ; and from the violence of the concussion 
between the handle of my face and the deck, I 
at first fancied I had entirely demolished my 
olfactory nerves. However, I picked myself 
up with as much content as the attendant cir- 
cumstances would permit, and rushed on deck, 
arrayed in no other garments than my frock, 
which is similar to a shirt, with the exception 
of having a blue front and collar. Here I found 
another consolation : it was raining in tor- 
rents and blowing fresh. However, deter- 
mined not to meet misfortunes half way, I 
18 



206 PUNISHMENT OF AN OLD SAILOR. 

proceeded onwards to ascertain the cause of 
the confusion, which, after all, I found to arise 
from our consort, the John Adams, coming 
rather too close to us to be pleasant, as she 
was then directly under our bows. By a shift 
of the helm, we cleared from her, at the same 
time expressing our wishes for her to keep off 
at a more polite and respectful distance. I re- 
turned to my hammock, half drowned with 
rain, happy to think my surmises were wrong 
respecting any person falling overboard, as I 
had at first imagined when I heard that the 
life-buoy was cut away. On the following 
morning I perceived the John Adams, looking 
as pert as ever, having, as it appeared, pre- 
served herself without the assistance of a life- 
buoy. 

On the following day I witnessed a transac- 
tion, which imparted the deepest regret to my 
feelings, on account of the poor fellow who 
was the sufferer on the occasion. A better 
hearted man never broke the bread of life ; 
beloved by his shipmates, and respected by the 
greater part of his officers ; one who has been 
in the service for many years, and was takeni 
prisoner in the Essex. His name is Antoniol 
Sallee, an elderly man, and, of course, not! 
very strong. For the trivial offence of talking] 



PUNISHMENT. 207 

on the fore yard, to another man, 2ipon a point 
of duty, he was called down by Mr. Turk, the 
second lieutenant, and punished, as well as 
abused. While the boatswain's mate was in- 
flicting the lashes, the tears were absolutely 
trickling down the old man's weather-beaten 
and furrowed cheeks ; while, at the same time, 
he was abused by that very " gentlemanly " 
officer, who called him " a good for nothing 
son of a b — h." This outrageous conduct was 
observed to a poor old man, who had fought for 
the rights and liberties of the country, before 
this domineering officer was out of his mother's 
leading-strings. It is, in my opinion, a great 
pity he had not remained in leading-strings 
until the present day, as it would have been the 
cause of two good things, — it would have 
saved many a man's back a lash from the in- 
fernal colt, and himself from those curses which 
are at present bestovved upon him, and with 
which he will descend to the grave. 

It is generally considered an injustice to 
punish one man for another's fault ; but the 
rule is reversed in this ship. If one man, sta- 
tioned aloft, is guilty of a misdemeanor, it is 
not unfrequent that the whole body, amounting 
perhaps to forty or fifty, are called down and 
punished for one man's misdemeanor. 



208 MIDSHIPMEN. 

I recollect an instance of this kind, on the 
passage from Madeira to Rio, and which 1 had 
omitted to notice. For some trifling offence, 
committed by a man stationed in the after- 
guard, on the quarter-deck, this self-same Mr. 
Turk, who happened to be the officer of the 
watch, turned to, with a free good will on his 
part, and whipped not only the whole of the 
after-guard, but also the mizzen-topmen. I 
myself counted eight hundred and ihirtij-seven 
lashes before breakfast. An opportunity like 
this afforded the greatest pleasure to Mr. Turk, 
and no doubt he descended to his breakfast in 
the ward-room with a good appetite, edged 
pretty keenly by the wonderful exploit he had 
performed, which ought to be cried up and 
down every town and city throughout the 
States, for the benefit of those young middies 
who expect to promote themselves in the navy. 

By the by, writing of young middies, I wish 
to inf )rm my readers that we have on board 
two infants, in the dress of midshipmen, whose 
insulting conduct at times is almost unbeara- 
ble. The morals of the ship, under the espe- 
cial patronage of the officers, maybe judged of 
when I state that these infants, for future pat- 
ronage, are fFom twelve to fourteen years f 
age, and they will very often v/alk up to tLe 



CROSSING THE LINE. 209 

seamen, and utter, with as much smartness as 
their gentlemanly elders, " You be d — d," and 
" You d — d son of a b — h." I can, at times, 
but admire the forbearance of the men, that 
they do not often put them across their knee, 
and correct them. 

Our crew, during this passage, began to re- 
cover from the effects of the scurvy and dys- 
entery, which had held its influence so long in 
the ship, and by which we had lost so many 
men. 

On the 16th November, we, however, lost 
another of our crew, Henry Franks, sergeant 
of marines, who had been suffering a long time 
with the liver complaint, and whose remains 
were consigned to the deep, the accustomed 
form of prayer being read over them. This 
individual was sincerely regretted by many, as 
he had gained their good opinion by the affa- 
bility of his disposition and general uniformity 
of manners to all around him ; but with all 
these qualifications, he has gone down to the 
valley of the shadow of death. 

On the 27th inst. we crossed the equinoctial 
line to the southward, in longitude 140° 22' 
west, and on the 30th, at daylight, we dis- 
covered land, proving to be the Marquesas. 
At 10, A. M. the Island of Fattuuhu bore per 
18* 



210 ARRIVE AT OTAHEITE. 

compass, NE. by E. Mattauity E. half S., and 
the centre of the Island of Nukahiva E. half S. 

The Marquesas Islands are a group situated 
in the South Pacific ocean, of which the most 
considerable are St, Christina, St. Pedro 
and St. Dominica, the latter being considered 
the largest. It is sixteen leagues in circuit. 
The inhabitants, as far as regards their lan- 
guage, manners and clothing, with the vegeta- 
ble productions, are nearly the same as those 
of the Society Islands. These islands were first 
discovered by Quiros, the Spanish navigator, 
in the year 1595, but their situation was better 
ascertained by Capt. Cook, in 1794. 

At 4, P. M. on the 4th December, we made 
the Island of Toicka, bearing, per compass, at 
the northern end, NNW. half W, and on the 
following morning, at 10, A. M. made another 
island, named Elizabeth Island, bearing S. by 
E. as also a variety of small islands, as seen by 
Rubrick. We also discovered the Island of 
Otaheite, on the larboard bow and ahead. At 
11, A. M. Point Venus bore, per compass, SW. 
half W. We came to an anchor in the harbor of 
Papeete, at 4, P. M. and on the following 
morning the John Adams arrived, and also 
came to anchor. We were visited by the 
American, British, and French consuls, who 



NUMBER OF INHABITANTS. 211 

were each and severally saluted, as usual, on 
their arrival on board. 

The Island of Otaheite was discovered by 
Capt. Wallis, in the Dolphin, belonging to the 
British government, on the 19th June, 1767. 
It is situated in 17° 15' south latitude, and 
149° 30' west longitude, and consists of two 
peninsulas, of a somewhat circular form, joined 
by an isthmus, and is surrounded by a reef of 
coral rocks, which form several excellent bays 
and harbors, where there is room and depth of 
water for almost any number of the largest 
ships. 

The face of the country is very extraordi- 
nary ; for a border of low land almost entirely 
surrounds each peninsula, and behind this bor- 
der the land rises in ridges, that run up into 
the middle of these divisions^ and these form 
mountains that may be seen at sixty leagues 
distance. 

The soil, except upon the very tops of the 
ridges, is remarkably rich and fertile, watered 
by a great number of rivulets, and covered with 
fruit trees of various kinds, forming the most 
delightful groves. 

Some parts of the Island of Otaheite are 
very populous. The total number of inhab- 
itants upon the island is estimated at 205,000. 



212 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

They are of a clear olive complexion ; the | 
men tall, strong, well built, and finely shaped ; | 
the women are of an inferior size, but hand- i 
some and very amorous, being regular devotees ; 
at the shrine of Cupid. The clothing of the i 
natives is similar to that of the Sandwich \ 
Islanders, and the greatest part of their food : 
consists of cocoa-nuts, bananas, bread-fruit, j 
plantains, and a great variety of other fruits. 

Their houses — that is, those of the middling i 
size — are of an oblong square, about twenty- 
four feet long and eleven wide, with a shelving j 
roof, supported on three rows of posts, parallel j 
to each other, one row on each side and one in i 
the middle. The utmost height within is about I 
nine feet, and the eaves on each side reach to | 
within about three feet and a half from the \ 
ground. All the rest is open, no part being | 
enclosed with a wall. The roof is thatched '[ 
with palm-Ieaves, and the floor covered some j 
inches deep with soft hay, over which they lay \ 
mats, upon which they sit in the day and sleep ' 
in the night. They have but few tools among 
them made of metal, as they mostly use those j 
made of stone, or some kind of bone. The ' 
inhabitants of Otaheite are remarkable for 
their cleanliness ; for both men and women 
constantly wash their bodies in running water 



TATTOOING RELIGION. 213 

three times a day. Their language is soft and 
melodious, and abounds with vowels. The 
only wild animals are tropical birds, paroquets, 
pigeons, ducks, and a few other birds, rats, 
and a very few serpents. The sea, however, 
supplies the inhabitants with a very great va- 
riety of the most excellent iish. 

The natives have the habit of discoloring the 
skin, by pricking it v/ith a small instrument, 
the teeth of which are dipped into a mixture of 
lampblack, or something like it. This opera- 
tion is called tattooing, and is performed on the 
youth of both sexes, when they are . about 
twelve or fourteen years of age, on several 
parts of the body and in various figures. They 
are very dexterous in making wicker-work; 
their baskets are of a thousand different pat- 
terns, and many of them exceedingly neat. 
Their religion consists in believing in one 
supreme Deity, and the existence of the soul in 
a separate state, where there are two situations, 
of different degrees of happiness. In former 
times their weapons consisted of slings, (which 
even to the present day they can use with the 
greatest dexterity,) and clubs, about six or seven 
feet long, made of a heavy hard wood. 

Part of the ship's company, during our stay 
here, were indulged with the privilege of 



214 ON LIBERTY. 

twenty-four hours' liberty, to have a run on 
shore, and went on shore, a certain number 
at a time. On the return of the first draft to 
the ship, after the expiration of that time, 
another complement went for the same period. 
But, in consequence of some slight disturbance 
taking place among some of them, who had 
been on a particular visit to their old friend 
and acquaintance, the god Bacchus, and had 
partaken rather too deeply of his strong liba- 
tions, a veto was put on all further liberty 
being allowed. On the night of the disturb- 
ance, at about nine, P. M, all the boats were 
called away, manned, and, under the superin- 
tendence of various officers, ptilled away for 
the shore, with an express and implicit order 
to bring off all our men on board, who were on 
liberty. Now commenced on shore a scene of 
the most ludicrous merriment. One man was 
discovered under the lee of a bush, with an old 
basket lugged over his ears by way of a night- 
cap, most musically snoring away all his trou- 
bles and cares in the arms of the drowsy god. 
He was awoke and sent on board. Another 
was laying on his beam ends ; while a third, 
who had walked out for the purpose of enjoy- 
ing his own company, was also despatched off. 
Search was made in every house for the Co- 



II^TERRUPTED BLISS. 215 

Itimbia's lads, and a particular friend of mine 
was roused out of bed, and also sent on board. 
On asking him, on the following morning, the 
reason why he had not staid until the expira- 
tion of the time allowed him, he gave me the 
following account : 

" I had retired to rest in a house not far 
from the beach, blessed with the cheering and 
affectionate smiles of as pretty a lass as ever 
was formed in nature's mould ; and thought 
myself, at this moment, the happiest of the 
happy, and did not envy the mightiest poten- 
tate on the face of the earth, in any of bis high- 
born enjoyments. 

" I had been," he says, " fanned to sleep by 
the affectionate hands of this sylph of my 
affections, and fell into a dream, wherein I 
fancied myself walking in the Elysian fields, 
attended by this lovely partner of my previous 
earthly enjoyments. All at once I was aroused 
from this my visionary slumber by a violent 
shaking, and a grim visage, poking its ugly 
mug behind the curtains, exclaiming, 'Yo, ho, 
shipmate, heave an end and save tide ! bear a 
hand, and slip on your dunnage, to go on 
board; for 'tis a positive order.' On asking 
this unwelcome intruder what was the matter, 
(who, by the by, was one of my shipmates, and 



216 INTERHtrPTED BLISS. 

who, at that moment, I heartily wished at the 
devil,) he informed me that there was the very 
devil to pay on shore, and no pitch hot, and 
that I must go on board. Knowing that I wag 
no accessory in any disturbance on the one 
part, and, on the other hand, unwilling to leave 
my present scene of happiness, which I knew 
would be but temporary, I remonstrated with 
my shipmate on this unreasonable request. He 
looked me full in the face in reply, and says, 
' Well, you can do as you like. Let every tub 
stand on its own bottom, I say, and every man 
steer by his own compass ; but, depend upon 
it, if you don't go, as it is a positive order from 
head-quarters, you will have slops served out to 
you, which you will not know the price of.' 

" On consideration, I thought it most advisa- 
ble to follow the counsel of my uncouth moni- 
tor, and, after taking leave of my dearly be- 
loved Sposa, I was obliged to change my 
lodgings from a scene of earthly felicity to 
my old quarters and my canvass dreaming- 
bag." 

He finished this description of his night's 
adventure to me, at which I could but smile* 
and think of the mutability of all human 
events. 



ARRIVAL AT VALPARAISO. 217 

The evening previous to our departure from 
Otaheite, the queen arrived from another part 
of the island, v/here she had been for some 
time, and given birth to a son, to the great 
joy of her loving Ken ackers. Our com- 
modore waited upon her majesty ; but, in con- 
sequence of our ship being on the point of 
sailing, we were not honored by a visit from 
her. 

On the 22d of December, we unmoored 
ship, and on the following day we bade fare- 
well to Papeete harbor, its lofty hills, and 
shady groves, with their spirit-bewitching en- 
chantments, and directed our course towards 
Valparaiso. Nothing of particular moment 
occurred during the passage, with the excep- 
tion of heavy rains. We had now winged 
our way round the world, crossing the same 
meridian as Norfolk, in Virginia, is situated 
upon. On the 26th inst. Adam Waters re- 
ceived twenty-four lashes with the cats, not 
having been previously tried, and found guilty 
by court-martial. 

We arrived at Valparaiso on the 23d of 
iJanuary, 1840. The importance of this har- 
bor has long been known. In stormy weather, 
|with a north wind, the sea rolls in with great 
|violence ; and then the anchorage is not only 
19 



218 SANTIAGO — CHILI. 

unpleasant, but exceedingly dangerous. Many 
vessels and some lives, have been lost at such 
times. In this town is centered nearly the 
whole foreign commerce of Chili. The inhabit- 
ants are exceedingly courteous and obliging to 
strangers. The town stands at the bottom of a 
steep hill, and its population is estimated at 
20,000, including the suburbs on the high 
ground above. 

Santiago, the capital of Chili, is situated 
about ninety miles from the coast, and is 
bounded on one side by a hill, and on the other 
by a large plain. It is the centre of all the 
internal traffic of the country, and has 40,000 
inhabitants. Its streets are wide and well 
paved, and the public buildings are large and 
handsome. It is well stored with every species 
of merchandise. 

Chili has luxuriant pastures^ the grass of 
which in many parts is so tall as to hide cattle, 
of which there are numerous herds. Grain, 
cotton, sugar, oil, wine, and fruits, are pro- 
duced in abundance. Among the fruits are 
apples and peaches, of extraordinary size, 
some of the latter weighing sixteen ounces. 

The cedars of the Andes mountain rival 
those of Lebanon, and the fruits and vegeta- 
bles are of the choicest description. The 



DYSENTERY. 219 

myrtle attains the height of forty or fifty feet, 
and the olive equals the largest trees in our 
forests. 

The top of the Ancles mountains are cov- 
ered with perpetual snow, but on the coast 
it never falls. It seldom, and in some places 
it is said never, rains ; dews, however, are 
abundant. 

The southern part of Chili, is occupied by 
the Araucanian Indians. — a tribe, brave, war- 
like, and fond of liberty, whom the Spaniards, 
for three centuries, vainly tried to subdue. 
Chili, formerly a Spanish province, declared 
itself independent in 1818, and has recently 
formed a republican government. 

This country was first discovered by Diego 
Aimagro, a Spaniard, in 1525. He passed the 
Andes from Peru, and though he had lost a 
great part of his soldiers, who attended him in 
this expedition, he was received with great 
submission by the inhabitants of the country, 
who had formerly been under the dominion of 
the Peruvians. 

The dysentery, which had caused such cruel 
ravages and death, amongst our crew, by this 
time had ceased its havoc, as all the sick 
had now nearly recovered from its effects. 
One thing respecting this terrible disease par- 



220 PUNISHMENT. 

ticularly attracted my attention, which was, 
those men who had been afflicted with it, and 
had recovered again, looked much heartier in 
personal appearance, than those who had never 
been sufferers fromit. 

On the 14th inst. the captain of the Ameri- 
can ship Emily Taylor, of Boston, lying in 
this harbor, sent to Commodore Read, request- 
ing his assistance. Some of his men had re- 
fused to do their duty, in consequence of a 
misunderstanding. The request was imme- 
diately acceded to, the commodore sending on 
board the vessel our sailing-master, master-at- 
arms, and a boatswain's mate. 

On their arrival on board, the disaffected 
men were asked if they would return to their 
duty. They replied in the negative ; upon 
which they were severely whipped on their 
bare backs, two with eighteen, and one with 
twenty-four lashes ; not v/ith the cats, the 
usual instrument of torture, but with the colt, 
a piece of hard twisted rope, commonly called 
nine thread, which absolutely cut the flesh to 
the bone. 

I saw the backs of those poor men after- 
wards, as they joined the frigate for the pur- 
pose of getting to the United States. I abso- 
lutely turned away with pity and disgust, as I 



MIDNIGHT BURIAL. 221 

pitied the poor suffering men, and was dis- 
gusted with the commodore, whom I was for a 
time compelled to serve and obey. 

During our stay, we lost one of our crew 
only, by consumption. He was interred on 
shore at the still hour of midnight, when all 
nature was hushed in silence, according to the 
customs of the country. A funeral scene, at 
this gloomy hour, cannot fail to impress the 
mind with more than religious awe, when you 
consider that you are standing on that place, 
sanctified by the ashes of the dead, as well as 
by the prayers of the living ; the place that 
had so often listened in its solemn stillness to 
the vow that bound heart to heart ; the place 
where the first born has been dedicated to the 
Deity, and which is even now echoing the sobs 
of the funeral train ;— a place hallowed by the 
most joyous, and the saddest of all human 
emotions, as well as by all holy rites, and 
seeming itself to breathe a sacramental power. 
I say these things find an answer in the inmost 
depths of the heart. 

On the 17th of February, we took our de- 
parture from this port, for Callao, in Peru, at 
which place we arrived on the 28th inst. at the 
hour of midnight, after a pleasant passage of 
eleven days from Valparaiso. This harbor 
19* 



222 ACCOUNT OF CALLAO. 

was pretty full of shipping, principally mer- 
chantmen and coasters. The only men of 
war, besides our own ship, being H. B. M. 
frigate President, and the United States schoon- 
er Shark. The United States frigate Consti- 
tution had sailed a few days previously, upon a 
cruise, which I am led to believe was a source 
of much disappointment to many of our crew, 
as they wished to have benefited tJieir constitu- 
tion by being shifted to the Constitution, as 
she was stationed on this particularly healthy 
coast. 

Early on the following morning, we were 
saluted by the frigate President, which was an- 
swered by us. At meridian, we hoisted the 
Peruvian colors at the fore, and saluted the 
town with twenty-one guns. The town and 
harbor of Callao is well fortified, and is the 
principal port on this coast. In the year, 1747, 
this place was entirely demolished by the 
dreadful visitation of an earthquake, which at 
the same time laid three fourths of the city of 
Lima in ruins. Never was any destruction 
more terrible or complete, not more than one 
of three thousand inhabitants being left to re- 
cord the dreadful calamity, and he by a provi- 
dence the most singular and extraordinary im- 
aginable. This man, who happened to be on 



ACCOUNT OF LIMA. 223 

the fort which overlooked the harbor, perceived 
the inhabitants running from their houses, in 
the utmost terror and confusion. The sea, as 
usual on such occasions, receding to a consid- 
erable distance, returned in mountainous waves, 
and buried the inhabitants forever in its bosom. 
Immediately all was silent ; but the same 
waves which destroyed the town, drove a little 
boat to the place where the man stood, into 
which he threw himself, and was saved. The 
manners of the people in this country do not 
remarkably differ from those of the whole 
Spanish dominions. Pride and laziness are 
the two predominant passions. The Creoles, 
and all the other descendants of the Spaniards, 
are guilty of many mean and pilfering vices, 
which a true-born Castilian could not think of 
but with detestation. 

The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, is 
situated in the middle of a spacious and de- 
lightful valley, distance about nine miles from 
Callao. This spot was fixed upon by the 
famous Pizarro, as the most proper for a city, 
which he expected would preserve his memory. 
It is so well supplied with water, that each of 
the inhabitants, like those of London, can 
command a stream for his own use. There 
are many magnificent structures in this city, 



224 ACCOUNT OF PERU. 

particularly churches, though the houses in 
general are bualt of slight materials, the equality 
of climate and want of rain rendering stone 
houses unnecessary. 

The city extends in length upwards of two 
miles, and in breadth one and a half. It con- 
tains about 54,000 inhabitants, of whom the 
whites amount to a sixth part. One remarka- 
ble fact is sufficient to demonstrate the ancient 
wealth of this city. When the viceroy, the 
Duke de la Paluda, made his entry into Lima, in 
the year 1682, the inhabitants, to do him honor, 
caused the streets to be paved with ingots of 
silver, to the amount of seventeen millions 
sterling, while the churches and other public 
buildings were decorated inside with gold, 
silver, and precious stones, the walls being 
completely loaded with those ornaments. 

There are many gold mines in the northern 
parts of Peru, not far from Lima. Silver, too, 
is found in great abundance in various prov- 
inces : the old mines are frequently exhausted, 
but new ones are daily opened. The towns 
are shifted with the mines. 

This country produces fruits peculiar to the 
climate, and most of those of Europe. A 
principal article in the produce and commerce 
of this country, is the Peruvian bark, — an arti- 



ANIBIALS OF PERU. 225 

cle well known, especially for its medicinal 
uses. The tree which produces this invaluable 
drug grows principally in the mountainous parts 
of Peru. The best bark is always produced 
in the high and rocky grounds. The tree 
which bears it is about the size of a cherry 
tree, and produces a kind of fruit resembling 
the almond ; but it is only the bark which has 
those excellent qualities, that render it so use- 
ful in intermittent fevers, and other disorders, 
to which daily experience extends the applica- 
tion of it. 

The principal animals peculiar to Peru are 
the lama, the vicunna, and the guanaco. The 
lama has a small head, resembling both that 
of the horse and the sheep. It is about the 
size of a stag ; its upper lip is cleft like the 
hare, through which, when enraged, it spits a 
kind of venomous juice, which inflames the 
part it falls upon. The flesh of the lama is a 
pleasant and wholesome food; and the animal 
is not only useful in affording a fine kind of 
wool and food, but also as a beast of burden. 
It can endure amazing fatigue, and will travel 
over the steepest mountains with a load of 
sixty or seventy pounds. It feeds very spar- 
ingly, and never drinks. The vicunna is smaller 
and swifter than the lama, and produces wool 



226 ARRIVE AT RIO JANEIRO. 

Still finer in quality. The guanaco is much 
larger than the lama, its wool is long and 
harsh, but in shape they are nearly alike. 

On the 9th of March we weighed, and left 
Callao, bound to Kio Janeiro. This morning, 
John Rhineman received eighteen lashes, con- 
trary to the rules of the service, he not having 
been tried by a court-martial. 

On the 19th of April, we rounded Cape 
Horn, in latitude 56^ 5& north, and longitude 
68° 25' west. The weather at this time being 
extremely cold and disagreeable, accompanied 
with heavy squalls of hail, wind, and frequently 
much snow. Thermometer being in air 39° 
and water 41°, which was the lowest tempera- 
ture experienced during the cruise. 

On the 22d inst. we spoke a Brazilian brig 
from Monte de Video, bound to Pernambuco ; 
and on the 24th inst. we once more came to 
an anchor in the harbor of Rio Janeiro. We' 
found here, as usual, various men of war, in- 
cluding the United States ship Lexington, who 
saluted us according to custom. On the 26th, 
we were joined by the United States ships John 
Adams and Falmouth, the latter ship saluting 
our commodore's flag. On the 2d of May, we 
had to pay the same compliment to the flag of 
Commodore George C. Ridgely, which was 



ARRIVE AT CHARLESTOWN. 227 

hoisted on board the United States ship Deca- 
tur, that ship arriving from the United States 
on that day. 

On the 6th of May we got under way from 
Rio, and proceeded to sea, bound home ; each 
heart beating high with the expectation of once 
more beholding liis family and friends. On 
the 23d inst. we crossed the equinoctial line, in 
longitude 36° 29' west, and on the 13th of June 
we came to an anchor off Boston lighthouse. 
On the 16th, made fast alongside the wharf, in 
the navy yard at Charlestown, Mass. after an 
absence of two years, one month, and ten days, 
during which time we circumnavigated the 
globe. 

And now, my readers, being once more at 
home, I have to conclude this sketch, trusting 
this, my humble attempt for your amusement 
or information, may succeed in giving you sat- 
isfaction. Wishing you all prosperity and hap- 
piness, may you ever steer through the wide 
and expansive ocean of life with favorable 
gales, and at the last cast your anchor in the 
port of heaven, where your commander will 
be the supreme Creator of all, and the shrill 
pipe of the boatswain's mates, which have so 
often called us to our earthly duties, be changed 
to the trumpets resounding the praises of the 



228 ADIEU TO SHIPMATES. 

Most High, — of that divine God, who has 
afforded us his sacred protection through hfe's 
checkered paths. And though we have to 
strike our colors to death when called upon, I 
trust it will be only to ensure us a safe anchor- 
age, and good holding ground. 

Adieu, my shipmates ; God bless you all ! 



THE LAST DAYS OF MUCKIE. 

WRITTEN ON BOARD THE COLUMBIA, BY CORPORAL S. PENROSE. 

The bright rays of the sun had illumined the morning, 
As lightly they glanced o'er the waves of the seas ; 

The dew-drops of heaven so gently were falling, 
They vanished away in the sweet-scented breeze. 

When Columbia's dark form o'er the ocean appeared, 
Her yards neatly squared, and her canvass snug furled, 

"While streaming aloft that proud flag was upraised — 
The star-spangled banner — defying the world. 

What means that proud vessel, with aspect so bold ; 

Why lies she so silent in Muckie's dark bayj 
While near her another her flag doth unfold, 

With her dark row of guns, all in fearful display 

The tale is soon told: the proud bird of Columbia 

In majesty sits on her throne upon high ; 
While nothing beneath, in the seas or around her, 

Escapes the quick glance of her keen-searching eye. 

As over Sumatra's light green shady woods 

Her bright-rolling eye she in watchfulness turns, 

She sees the dark Malay, his hands steeped in blood, 
The red streaming blood of her favorite sons. 

20 



230 LAST DAYS OF MUCKIE. 

Inflamed were her eyes — red with anger they roll ; 

Revenge, quick revenge, was her deep-uttered cry : 
The true sons of freedom obey her loud call, 

And vow by their freedom the Malay must die. 

But hark ! that bold vessel's loud thunder is breaking ; 

The black clouds of smoke in dense columns arise : 
Dost thou hear, fated Muckie ? — thy death-knell 'tis speak- 
ing! 

Receive thy dread sentence — it comes from the skies. 

O, never again, in thy sweet-scented woods, 
Shall thy flocks and thy herds for a shelter retreat ; 

But thy mouldering ruins, thy desolate groves, 
Shall proclaim to the world that revenge is still sweet. 

Then beware thee, dark Malay, should the eagle e'er see 
thee 

Raise thy bloody hands 'gainst her favorite sons ; 
Remember lost Muckie, her fate sad and dreary; 

For sooner or later thy judgment shall come. 



ABSTRACT 

GP THE CRUISE OF THE 
UNITED STATES FRIGATE COLUMBIA. 



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May 6 


Hampton Roads 


21 


3233 


May 27 


Madeira 


6 


June 2 


Madeira 


38 


4310 


July 10 


Rio 


20 


July 30 


Rio 


79 


10388 


Oct. 17 


Muscat 


9 


Oct. 26 


Muscat 


6 


804 


Nov. 1 


Bombay 


10 


Nov. 11 


Bombay 


4 


297 


Nov. 15 


Goa 


1 


Nov. 16 


Goa 


10 


673 


Nov. 26 


Columbo 


6 


Dec. 2 


Columbo 


20 


1424 


Dec. 22 


auallah Battoo 


5 


Dec. 27 


auallah Battoo 


3 


26 


Dec. 30 


Muckie 


4 


1839. 














Jan. 3 


Muckie 


1 


20 


Jan. 3 


• 
Soosoo 


11 


Jan. 14 


Soosoo 


11 


1056 


Jan. 25 


Penang 


1 


Jan. 26 


Penang 


8 


536 


Feb. 3 


Singapore 


53 


March 28 


Singapore 


30 


2121 


April 27 


Macao 


49 


June 15 


Macao 


i 


30 


June 15 


Toonkoo Bay 


52 


Aug. 6 


Toonkoo Bay 


65 


7250 


Oct. 10 


Oahu 


25 


Nov. 4 


Oahu 


32 


3942 


Dec. 6 


Tahiti 


16 


Dec. 22 


Tahiti 


32 


5362 


1840. 






1840. 








Jan. 23 


Valparaiso 


25 


Feb. 17 


Valparaiso 


11 


1274 


Feb. 28 


Callao 


8 


March 8 


Callao 


47 


6196 


April 24 


Rio 


12 


May 6 


Rio 


41 


5854 


June 16 


Boston 





•Aggregate. 

Number of Ports 18 

Days at Sea 459 

Days in Port 313 

Total Distance run 54796 knots. 



U. S, VESSELS. 



No. Ship's Name. 

1 Virginia 

2 United States 

3 Constitution 

4 Guerriere 

5 Java 

6 Columbus 

7 Congress 

8 Macedonia 

9 Constellation 

10 Ohio 

11 Franklin 

12 Independence 

13 John Ad,ams 

14 Levant 

15 Peacock 

16 Delaware 

17 North Carolina 

18 Erie 

19 Ontario 

20 Cyane 

21 Enterprise 

22 Brandywine 

23 Boston 

24 Colambia 

25 Hudson 

26 Porpoise 

27 Dolphin 

28 Potomac 



No. Ship's Name. 

29 Shark 

30 Grampus 

31 Lexington 

32 Washington 

33 Vincennes 

34 Warren 

35 Natchez 

36 Pennsylvania 

37 New York 

38 Vermont • 

39 Alabama 

40 Santee 

41 Cumberland 

42 Sabine 

43 Savannah 

44 Raritan 

45 St. Lawrence 

46 St. Louis 

47 Vandalia 
.48 Fairfield 

49 Falmouth 

50 Concord 

51 Experiment 

52 Boxer 

53 Pioneer 

54 Consort 

55 Relief 

56 Pilot . 






SEP 2 9 1950 ^ 













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